Kamen Rider Sin
by Myshiroyuki
Summary: With the promise of freedom, seven criminals have been handed the SIN Drivers to fight against the Krimivals, men and women who turned into monsters under the weight of their sins. The government expects them to be controlled but criminals, no matter the promises, aren't easy to control, especially when each has his or her own goals and desires. On Indefinite Hiatus.
1. Prologue: The Sin of Seven

**Author's Note: Hello, hello, hello, Myshiroyuki here with a new Kamen Rider OC fanfiction. While I still work on Kamen Rider Vitaz, MaesterDimentio and I will be working on this fanfic. I provide the bones of the story (plot, direction, ideas) and MaesterDimentio adds meat to those bones. If you could see the first draft I wrote and the finished product he's done, you would be surprised by the difference in quality. I was certainly surprised! It showed me I still have a lot to learn about writing. It's a bit long but I hope that doesn't scare you away.  
**

**Anyway, hope you like this new Kamen Rider series and if you do, tell us what you think. Criticism welcome.  
**

* * *

In a darkened room, where only very dim lights illuminated the area, an important meeting was taking place, one that would decide the fate of Japan and quite possibly the world. Arranged in a semicircle were seven men and women, each of them wearing a similar orange jumpsuit. Their wrists were bound by steel manacles, with a chain leading down to a pair of restraints on their feet. These restraints were in turn chained to the ground. Standing before the prisoners were various officials of the Japanese government, all wearing crisp black suits. At the center of it all, an older man, around the age of sixty, stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I would thank you all for joining us here today, but really, you had very little choice in the matter, now did you?" No one responded to the attempted joke the man made, aside from a few of the seven people sitting before him rolling their eyes. "But now, let's get down to business, shall we?" Clapping his hands, a screen behind him suddenly flicked on, brightening the room slightly. On it were various statistical figures that the seven people largely ignored, save one who looked interested for a moment before turning his head away. "Our test results have shown that you seven have the highest compatibility with the SIN Drivers."

If he expected a big reaction from them, he was sorely disappointed by the fact that hardly any of them were looking directly at him. In fact, only one of the seven prisoners even appeared to be paying attention to the proceedings, sitting straight in the folding chair they'd provided for him and his hands in his lap. He had messy brown hair and a long scar running down his cheek, with boyish features that would make him rather handsome in the eyes of some.

"As you may have already heard from the news, our nation is currently plagued by criminals such as yourself." Behind him, the screen changed, showing rather strange images. They were all of humanoid creatures , yet not a single one of them could truly be called human. In the images, each of the them appeared to be in the act of some crime. "Unlike you, however, the law is no match for these monsters, the Krimivals."

A woman stepped up from the group behind him, her black hair giving way to gray. "The Krimivals, as they have taken to calling themselves, are unlike any other criminal in Japan, or even the world for that matter." Again, the screen changed, this time to a video, or rather a compilation of videos. One showed a creature being fired upon by the police, only for the bullets to have no effect on it. Another showed the door to a bank vault being torn apart, and in another a creature set the entire area around it on fire. "These creatures have strength capable of crushing steel, bodies strong enough to withstand even the heaviest of ordnance, and the ability to take on the appearance of the last person they killed, in addition to a unique individual power that each possesses. Sadly yet predictably, police and military forces have had little success in stopping even the weakest of them."

The man again took center stage, clearing his throat to get their attention. "We have managed to hold them back, but at great costs. Every day, more people are dying, more lives are being ruined, and Japan comes closer to the brink of disaster. Now, this cost is growing too high for our people. Fear has gripped all of their hearts and people have lost hope that the Krimivals will ever be stopped."

"However, we have found a hope! We have found a way to stop the Krimivals, and it rests within you seven." He gestured to each of them with a sweep of his arm. "Out of the entire population of this country, only you seven prisoners have enough compatibility with the SIN Drivers, our weapon against these monsters!" Behind him, the screen changed again, showing seven different devices. Beside each device was the picture of one of the seven prisoners. "If it means the end of the Krimivals, we are willing to pardon each of you for your crimes!"

He held up a hand and clenched it into a tight fist. "The seven of you bear the collective hope of the entire nation of Japan on your shoulders! For the sake of this nation, eradicate the Krimivals!"

The room was silent, with everyone in it allowing his words to sink in. Finally, someone broke the silence with a laugh. Everyone, including six of the prisoners, turned to the prisoner sitting on the far right of the half-circle. "Such a great speech, sir!" the man cackled. He had shoulder-length hair that had been dyed blonde and a cocky smile on his face. "Damn, if my hands weren't like this," he gestured at the manacles with his chin, "I'd give you a standing ovation." Tilting his head, he let out a small chuckle as he looked at the man. "Now, you gotta tell me: just how many times did you practice that in front of the mirror? Two, three dozen?" Leaning back in his chair, he scanned the room before turning his eyes back to the man and giving him a wide grin. "Of course, it'd only take me half the words and I'd get three times as many people hooked on the first try. But what can I say – my audiences love me!"

Closing his eyes, the man in the center of the room breathed deeply. Reaching over to a nearby table, he picked up a folder and opened it up. Inside was a detailed report on the man, with his name at the very top with a picture right next to it. "Jin Shimaki-"

"The _Great_ Jin Shimaki, thank you."

The bald man smiled and tossed the folder back onto the table. "Well, it certainly seems as though our reports on your ego were accurate. Quite fitting that the SIN Driver most compatible with you would just so happen to be the Pride Driver." The screen changed to show a full-body picture of Jin, with a gold device shaped like a crown next to it. To the right side of the screen were three words:

Deviant Rider Satan.

"Hey now, it's not pride if it's the truth," Jin corrected, chuckling a little. "If anything, I'd say I'm quite humble compared to some people."

The bald man smirked and let out a small chuckle of his own. "I suppose that it could be seen that way, but I have to question just how much truth your words hold, Mr. Shimaki." The grin on Jin's face died at the man's words. "And I suppose it's also fitting that we've given you the codename of Deviant Rider Satan, wouldn't you agree?" Turning to Jin, he smiled fully. "A once-great angel, the most beautiful of them all, whose pride led to his downfall. Tell me, Mr. Shimaki: Does any of that story sound familiar to you?"

Jin looked away from the official and gritted his teeth. "Go to hell. The King has no need for the words of peasants," he spat.

"Stop making such a big deal out of this, you dumbass!" the female prisoner next to Jin shouted, glaring daggers at the 'King'. She was young, with her black hair pulled into a ponytail and a large butterfly tattoo on her neck. "Don't you get it? If we listen to their stupid speeches and just nod our heads, we get out of here faster!" Looking at the man in the center, she scowled. "Hey, in fact, how much longer is this gonna take, buddy? Some of us have things we'd like to do other than sit and listen to you ramble! Just get to the damn point and let us go already!"

Beside her, a man sighed before coughing. "I, for one, would like to know how much we shall be recompensed for our services." The man was rather scrawny, and he had very short black hair. Raising his hands as far as he could, he smiled. "After all, you can hardly expect this to be free, can you?" he asked, rubbing the fingers on his right hand together. "Money makes the world go 'round, after all."

Rather than the man, the woman from before spoke up. "Sora Haraki, I would watch your tongue while in here." As she spoke, the screen changed like it did for Jin before, showing a picture of Sora with a revolver-shaped device next to her. Her codename was, apparently, Deviant Rider Asedia. "Besides, its hardly like you have anything important to do while in lockup, true?"

Turning from Sora, she regarded the man. "As for you, Kyoya Mayuchi, I would, in your position, consider it enough that we are willing to pardon your crimes." The screen changed again, showing Kyoya next to a strange flip-phone, with Deviant Rider Midas listed as his codename. Seeing the amused look on his face, she sighed. "Of course, you will be paid a large sum for the destruction of each Krimival, Mr. Mayuchi."

"Excellent," Kyoya said with a smirk. "It's always a pleasure to do such fine business."

"Lousy, ass-kissing, greedy bastard," Sora muttered, turning her glare on him.

From across the room, a figure raised their arms. "Excuse me," a woman sitting at the far left side of the circle spoke up, "Can I please get something to eat." She clearly needed the food, being dangerously thin with sunken eyes. Her voice was weak, and it was a miracle that she was even heard. "My metabolism's very fast, so it'd have to be something high in calories in fat. Like a bowl of hot ramen, or-or some really greasy fries, or maybe a pizza with everything on it…" The woman continued naming off foods she couldn't possibly get in prison, with a small strand of drool beginning to run down her chin. As she spoke, she began to fall over, only for a pair of well-muscled arms to stop her.

"I don't think she's alright. Can someone please get her something?" he asked as he both heard and felt her stomach rumble, due to how frail she was. The man himself, however, was far from frail, with a powerful looking body and spiky hair. Despite looking dangerous, at the moment, he only seemed concerned for the woman he was holding up. "Hey, come on! What's it take to get a starving woman some food?" he demanded.

"I-It's alright," the woman said, shaking her head as she sat back into her seat. "Just…. A bowl of rice, that's all… that's all I want," she groaned.

Nodding, the bald official brought out a phone and pressed a button. He spoke a few words into it quickly and shut it off again, placing it back into his pocket. Almost instantly, a guard walked into the room, a large, steaming bowl of rice in his hands. He handed it over to the woman, who began to greedily devour it. Within a minute, it was all gone, yet the woman hardly looked like she'd improved.

"Wow, you were really hungry, weren't you?" The muscular man's eyebrows were raised by the display. "Is… Is she always like this?" he asked, turning to the officials.

"Tsuchiya Sakaki, while in the field, it will be your job to make sure she is fed well." Tsuchiya appeared on the screen, with a glove next to him and his codename listed as Deviant Rider Lainn. "Due to Kaori Ariwa's condition, she will be near useless when hungry, and likely an easy target for a Krimival." Kaori's picture appeared next, with a spiked collar beside her and her codename as Deviant Rider Kiga.

Beside Tsuchiya, the youngest prisoner of the bunch sat up in interest. "Wait. Did you just say Kaori Ariwa?" he asked. Compared to the man next to him, he looked absolutely like a child, something his features did not help to change. Looking past the large man, he cringed in disgust. "I thought she was supposed to be some hot model. Who knew she'd end up looking this ugly back then."

"What was that you brat!?" Tsuchiya yelled, turning to look down at the young man. Before anyone could react, he jumped out of the chair and began to smash his cuffed hands down onto the boy, with the boy laughing and ducking out of the way. Across the room, Sora and Jin were laughing as well. "Take it back!" he demanded, tugging furiously at his restraints to get closer to the boy. "She can't help it if she looks like that, you brat! Take it back now, before I make you!"

"Just try it," the boy laughed as another swing missed him. As he spoke, several guards rushed into the room to restrain the raging man. It took eight of them working together to pull Tsuchiya away long enough for him to calm down. "What's wrong, gorilla-man? I'm right here, waiting for you to make me take it back," the young man taunted, a smirk on his face. Tsuchiya started for him again, only for the guards to hold him back.

"That's enough!" the bald official finally snapped. Turning to face Tsuchiya, he stared the man down. "Mr. Sakaki, unless you wish to find yourself back in your cell with this offer off the table, you will learn to restrain yourself!" Tsuchiya looked at the man, then back to the boy, before sighing and sitting back in his chair. "Good," the man said with a nod. "As for you," Turning slightly, he looked at the young man. "Isamu Takaya, you will learn to refrain from insulting your comrades; otherwise, you may find yourself alienated from them when you need them most." Isamu's picture appeared next, with a wristwatch as his device. His codename was shown to be Deviant Rider Vice.

"Whatever," Isamu snorted. "It's not my fault if the gorilla-man gets mad over something so small. I guess the big ape just doesn't have the brain to use those muscles properly." Seeing the look he was getting from the bald official, he shrugged and gave him an innocent smile. "Something the matter, sir?"

Sighing, the man brought a hand to his forehead. "To hell with this. We're getting nowhere with these people," he muttered, grabbing the folders off of the table and stacking them all together. "Guards, get them out of here and give them the SIN Drivers. I want them at the training centers as soon as possible." The guards immediately followed his orders, running over to the prisoners and undoing the chain leading to the ground before leading them away one by one. However, one prisoner didn't move when the guards reached him. It was the young man with the scar, the only person not to speak during the entire meeting.

"Sir," he said, standing up, "I would like to thank you all for this chance." Surprising everyone in the room, he bowed low. "Thank you all for giving us this chance to redeem ourselves! I promise we will work hard to meet your expectations!" he yelled. "There is no need to worry; we will protect the people of Japan from the Krimivals!" Standing back up, he nodded at the guard before walking out of the room. All of the officials were stunned by the young man's words. Behind them, the screen turned off, darkening the room.

The female official finally broke the silence. "What was that young man's name again?" she asked, looking at the bald official.

"Naoki Akuzaki," the man replied. "He is the one with the highest compatibility for the Envy Driver." Without turning around, he handed her the young man's file. She opened it and began to read the personality report.

"Interesting," she muttered. "Out of seven criminals with life sentences, he is the only one without any dangerous skill or ability. The report states that he is a bit of a talker, but he didn't say a single word during the meeting." Pausing for a moment, she looked up at the man. "In fact, I think he was actually listening to every word you said, even when they weren't directed at him. And the guard's reports all say that he's a model prisoner – no violent tendencies, not one to act up, never causes a disturbance. Other than being a talker, they've had no complaints with him. Of all people, how is he compatible with the Envy SIN Driver?"

"Don't be fooled by appearances," the man told her, his voice hard. "Out of the seven chosen to become Deviant Riders, Naoki Akuzaki is by far the most dangerous of them all. His crime is more heinous than all of theirs combined."

"That's just not possible! I've gone over the reports for the other six, and I can say, without any doubt, they deserve to be in prison, but how does this man have a life sentence?" She handed the folder back to the man and shook her head in disbelief. "There wasn't even anything written down for his **criminal** history. Just what could this man have done?"

Opening the folder, the man stared down at the picture of Naoki Akuzaki, a frown crossing his face. "This man has committed a terrible crime. A crime so heinous that it mustn't be allowed to reach the public," he whispered. Turning to the woman, he fixed her with a hard stare. "A crime worthy of giving him the codename…

"Deviant Rider Sin."


	2. Episode 1: The Sin of Envy

"_Last night, a local supermarket was attacked by an unknown Krimival. Numerous people were injured, including most of the shoppers and employees, and many officers who arrived on the scene. The attack resulted in the deaths of seven men and women, three of whom were of the police. This marks the fifth attack this week by a Krimival, and once again, people everywhere are advised to be on the lookout for anyone matching-"_

"Shut up already," Karin Inoue sighed as she picked up the remote and switched the television off. The young journalist rubbed her temples as she reclined against her couch. "Krimival attacks… That's all the news ever wants to talk about these days," she muttered to herself. "Can we please just get something positive on there for once? I have to deal with enough depressing stuff at work."

Letting out another sigh, she twisted around and yanked open the curtains. She immediately regretted it as the harsh rays of the morning sun caught her eyes. Turning away, she blinked slowly as vision returned to her, revealing the mess that was her tiny apartment. And truly, tiny was the only word for it; other than an equally small bathroom, there was hardly any room for her worn-out couch and secondhand television. Bits of paper and old food wrappers littered the floor around her trashcan, only adding to the appearance. In a sense, though, the state of the apartment perfectly reflected the owner.

Karin, despite only recently having turned 25, looked twice as old as a woman her age should. In no small part was it due to the way she carried herself; she always appeared tired, which could very well be true considering the constant fear of Krimival attacks as well as working nonstop just to keep herself fed and sheltered. Dark rings had formed under her eyes long ago and she always looked as if she was just a moment away from collapsing. At the moment, she was wearing a dark blue shirt that was much too big for her and baggy sweatpants, though the black pantsuit and coat she wore for her job hung nearby on a nail that was sticking out of the wall. Next to it was a clock, and she frowned at the time: 5:24 in the morning.

"Why do I have to go to work so early?" she complained, slowly getting up from the minor comfort of her couch. "Seriously, hardly anyone ever goes to work this early in the morning anymore." Shaking her head, she entered the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Grabbing a lock of her long, black hair, she twisted it around in her fingers as she thought about what today meant for her: work, work, work, _work, __**work, **_all for a salary that wasn't even laughable. Sighing, she let her hair fall and began to freshen up for the day as best she could.

Fifteen minutes later, she was in her car – equally as small as her apartment – and was off to work.

* * *

"It's my fault…"

A figure stumbled through the alleyway, knocking over bags of trash as he bounced from wall to wall, repeating the words "It's my fault" over and over again to himself. He was middle-aged, with his hair already showing signs of gray that matched the color of his suit almost perfectly. The only thing that kept it from being a perfect match was the dark red that stained the sleeves, with a large splash of it on his direct front. A similarly colored liquid formed a trail behind him, and his hands left crimson prints on the walls of the alley.

Finally, he stumbled and fell, barely catching himself from slamming headfirst into the concrete. "It's all my fault," he whispered. "I-I attacked those people… I k-k-killed them… They're dead… because of me. " Bringing his hands to his face, his breathing quickened as he saw the scarlet stains. "This is their blood. Their blood is on _my_ hands!"

The man's head suddenly snapped to the side as a low growl tore from his throat. _**"Shut up already! You don't have to feel guilty, dammit!"**_ a voice, low and monstrous, came from his own lips. As he turned his head back around, anyone nearby would have been shocked to see that half of his face was missing, now replaced by a dark mist. Within the mist itself, the image of thorny vines coiled around each other to form some semblance of a face could be seen, with a bright, blood-red ball for an eye inside of a black void.

"But-But I… I _killed _them!" the man shouted, grasping his head in his hands. "They're dead because I killed them!"

"_**So?"**_ the monster asked, its red eye rolling in its socket. _**"It wasn't anything that wasn't deserved! They should have listened to you. You're smarter than them, more experienced, and you always have been! And now..."**_ a deep chuckle came from his throat, "_**now, you're stronger. Much stronger! And people are supposed to listen to those who are better than them, aren't they?"**_

"But I just wanted help-"

"_**Help? You don't need help!"**_ the monstrous voice roared. Slowly, the man got back to his feet as the monster continued. _**"People should be asking for your help, for your advice, and your instructions! They should follow your orders with no questions, like the servants that they are. And if they can't do that…" **_A low laugh erupted from the man's mouth as thorn-covered vines shot from under his clothes, seeking out the blood around him and sucking it up. _**"…we'll bleed them dry."**_

The man's back arched as his face lit up with a look of intense pleasure, only to vanish as the mist covered his entire face. He let out a feral cry vines erupted from underneath his clothes, wrapping and coiling around his body. When it was finished, he could hardly be considered a man again. His body was a dark green, made up of vines so twisted and knotted that they looked almost impenetrable. His head was dome shaped, with a ring of thorns circling his head like a crown. Beneath his eyes was a small hole, from which a pale green vine suddenly snaked out and moved over where his lips would have been. Hanging from his shoulders were several vines that formed a sort of small cape that reached to the small of his back.

"Yes…" the Vine Krimival whispered to himself as the vines on his back all writhed as one before shooting outwards towards the last few remaining spots of blood. He let out a moan of ecstasy as he drank up the red liquid. "They'll do as I say, all of them!" he roared, tilting his head back. "And if they don't, I'll drain every last drop out of them!" Suppressing a shudder as the last few drops of blood were absorbed, he began to head out of the alley, only to stop when he saw his reflection in a nearby window. For a moment, he looked at himself, almost admiringly.

A moment later, he snapped one of his fingers. One of the vines hanging from his back shot out and shattered the window, eliciting a scream from whoever was in the building.

The hole on his face widened slightly, like some twisted smile, as he left the alleyway.

* * *

"Of course this would happen," Karin sighed, staring at the crowd in front of her. Upon arriving at work, the chief editor of the news magazine she worked for had sent her out to gather information about some big announcement the government was going to have today. From what she'd managed to gather already, most people were saying that the government had finally done the impossible:

They'd found a way to fight the Krimivals.

Even if it was just the rumor mill at work, it definitely had people excited. By the time she'd arrived at the building where the press conference was to be held at, the area was swamped by other journalists, reporters, and even camera crews from news stations who wanted to be the first to get this information. At the moment, they were all waiting in the lobby just outside the room where the conference would be held, and Karin was already wishing she'd slept in. With all these other people here, with full crews no less, there was really no way she'd be able to get her job done.

Sighing, she brought a hand up to her temple to nurse the headache that was already coming her way.

"So, do you think it's true? That they found a way to fight against the Krimivals, I mean."

Her ears twitched at the topic, and she turned her head slightly to better hear the conversation. It was going to be a while before they opened the doors to the building, so she might as well find some way to pass the time.

"I don't see how they could," another man replied. Catching a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye, she saw he was older than the man who'd asked the question and his arms were folded against his chest. "I mean, what could they possibly do to fight against a Krimival?"

"I heard it was some kind of secret project, like they caught one of the Krimivals and found a way to make it do what they want."

"Don't be such a fool!" the elder of the two said as he slapped the back of his co-worker's head. "Have you seen how much firepower it takes just to hurt one of those monsters? They had to use anti-tank rounds – dozens of them – just to crack the skin on one, and it still managed to level a few blocks before they finally did enough to do it in! Just how the hell are they supposed to capture one if it took that much to hurt it?"

"I don't know! Maybe they drugged it?"

"That wouldn't work," the man replied, shaking his head. "They tried that with one of the first Krimival attacks, and all it did was make it angrier. From what scientists have been saying, they don't even have nerves, organs, or anything that could be affected anyway."

Karin was pulled from the conversation by a sudden clamor coming from the front of the crowd. Looking forwards, she saw that one of the men that had been in front of the door had now opened it, and he was now ushering people inside. Quickly following the crowd into the room, she saw it was a vast room with rows and rows of folding chairs, all set in front of a podium. Pushing her way through the crowd, she took a chair for herself, and, looking over her shoulder, saw that she was one of the lucky ones. There were a lot of people who would be standing up for this conference.

Twenty minutes passed while everyone filed in and camera crews got into position. The entire time she had to fight to stay awake, but she became alert when a man walked out to the podium, as the room was immediately filled with the noise of hundreds of loud questions. Every single one of them was met with silence as he simply crossed the stage to the podium. When he reached it, he tapped the microphone on it twice, causing the noise to cease.

"Thank you," he said, his voice magnified by the microphone, "and welcome. I understand the difficulty and worries of gathering like this with the current crisis our nation faces, and for that, I would like to thank all of you." Despite his old appearance, the man still cut an imposing image in the dark blue suit he wore. His face bore the signs of time, and it appeared that he'd shaved his head.

Clearing his throat, he continued. "As some of you may know, my name is Maruo Tanaka. Just like many citizens of this nation, and many of you, I'm sure, I have lost loved ones to the threat of the Krimivals, the monsters who terrorize Japan." He paused for a moment. "For far too long, they have held our people in the cold grip of fear, and they have shown no signs of stopping-"

"Mr. Tanaka!" a reporter at the front of the room interrupted, earning a disapproving look from the man. "Mr. Tanaka, are they true? Are the rumors that the government has finally found a way to fight the Krimivals true?"

Looking away from the man, Tanaka looked over the room, seeing the eager looks on the faces of each and ever man and woman who was attending this conference. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, in what might have been a smile. "Yes," he answered, after several moments of breathless silence.

"Yes, we have found a way to effectively combat the Krimivals -" Already cheers began to go up as the man spoke. "-without any loss of life or resource."

The room went into an uproar at his statement, with questions as to how this was possible and what it was mixed with triumphant cheers and heartfelt cries of thanks. If one were to look around the room, they would find that several people were beginning to break down in tears and some had run off to corners with their phones, eager to call their families and tell them of this great news.

After several minutes of excitement, Tanaka finally spoke again, quieting the room. " The brightest minds from all across the country have worked for months in order to develop a weapon that would allow a single man or woman to fight a Krimival," he told the audience, "and I am proud to say that the test results have been exceedingly positive. Each and every one of the test subjects has displayed the power and capability to injure and dispatch a Krimival, as well as withstand its attacks. At the moment, however, I'm afraid I can not go into greater detail as to who these subjects are, but know that they will be actively fighting the Krimival."

A shocked silence reigned as everyone processed just what this meant. Everyone in the room had seen the videos of nearly a hundred police officers firing on one Krimival with every weapon they had, only for the monster to shrug off the bullets, or of how one could tear through a steel vault door as if it were wet paper. They'd all seen the images of the aftermath of an attempt to destroy just one of them, and now, to hear that a single man or woman, a human, could fight one of these creatures and win was almost unbelievable.

As Tanaka continued speaking, Karin came to the conclusion that he'd told them as much as he was going to tell them at this point. It wasn't worth sitting in a room for an untold amount of time just to hear him go over the same thing again and again, or to talk about how the Krimivals' reign of terror was coming to an end. Quietly getting up and heading for the door, she decided to tell her boss that they'd have to wait for one of these people to show up before they got any more information.

"Excuse me! Miss!" She'd just stepped through the door and into the main lobby when a voice from behind startled her. Before she could turn around, a young man ran up from behind her and placed himself in front of her. He wore a black jacket and faded jeans, and there was an easy smile on his face. "You know, the event's still going on," he said, looking past her towards the building. "Why don't you head back in and see the whole thing? I hear it's supposed to be very exciting."

Looking at the young man, Karin couldn't help but frown. He was kind of handsome, with messy brown hair and boyish looks, and the scar on his cheek added something to his appearance. Still, she didn't really feel like dealing with anyone right now, not after such a big announcement. Getting this news back to her boss and heading home was the only thing she could think of. "There's no point in staying if he won't say anything worth my time," she told him as she pushed past him. She took maybe three steps before he was in front of her again.

"Y-you don't exactly know if he isn't, do you?" There was a nervous expression on his face and he idly scratched a spot just next to his scar. "I mean, maybe he's just getting started! Yeah, and if you go now, you'll miss out on something big!" He craned his head to look behind him and for a moment he looked worried. "Listen, could you please just… go back in there and stay for the next hour or so? It's important."

"I doubt that," Karin said as she pushed past him. "He already said he wouldn't say anything more about those test subjects, so I'll just wait until they start showing up. I got what my boss wanted, so I'm leaving." As she pushed open the doors, she heard a sharp intake of breath followed by rapid footsteps.

"I'm serious! Don't leave this building!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist firmly.

In response, she spun around and slapped his cheek hard. "Don't touch me!" she hissed, before turning around and marching away from the young man. A moment later, she realized that he was still behind her. Speeding up, she moved into a nearby plaza, thinking she could lose him in the crowd that was there.

After a few minutes of this, she realized he was still right behind her.

Finally having enough, she turned around. "Okay, what the hell is your problem?" Karin yelled. "First you walk up to me out of nowhere and tell me what to do, then you grab my hand when I try and leave, and now you're following me? Are you trying to get me to have you arrested?"

"You shouldn't be out here," he whispered. His eyes darted from side to side, and he seemed jittery, like he was expecting something to happen at any moment. "It's dangerous to be out here right now. One of _them_ is here somewhere, I can feel it!"

"One of what?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling.

He looked around the area for a moment before looking back to her. "A Krimival," he answered in a hushed whisper.

"A Krimival!?"

He jumped at the sudden outburst and quickly clamped a hand over her mouth as every man and woman around them stopped what they were doing and looked towards them. "Um, hi," he said nervously. "Nothing to see here. She just, uh… A house near hers got attacked by a Krimival, and she got a little worried when I told her. There's no reason to start panicking, none at all." Everyone around them kept staring for a few more seconds before deciding that it wasn't worth paying attention. Seeing this, the young man let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Karin.

She replied by biting down on his hand. Hard.

Slapping his free hand over his mouth to keep from crying out, he quickly yanked his hand from her mouth and began shaking it. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" he gritted out. As he massaged the bitten hand with his free hand, he turned to her with a pained expression. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, his voice almost a yell.

"For being a creep!" she huffed. There was a somewhat nasty taste in her mouth and she decided she'd brush her teeth as soon as she got home. "Not to mention a complete liar! Do you really expect me to believe you, a complete stranger who, so far, has done nothing but stalk me, can detect that there's a Krimival around here?"

"Yes!" he answered. A second later, however, he averted his eyes. "Actually, when you put it that way, not really…" Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked around with an embarrassed look on his face. Another second later, he brightened up. "Oh, wait! I'm technically not a stranger if you know my name, am I?" he reasoned. Turning back to her, he gave her a sincere smile. "Naoki Akuzaki! It's what my parents decided to call me when I was born, and I'm happy to keep it!"

Karin was less than impressed. "Great. Now I know the name of my stalker." Shaking her head, she sighed. "What a weirdo," she muttered as she turned away.

"Such a poisonous tongue ought to be ripped out." To say she was shocked by that statement would be putting it mildly. Turning back around, ready to verbally tear into him, she stopped when she saw the blank look on his face. Only a moment ago he'd seemed happy; to see such a change was surprising. "…Maybe I should leave you to the Krimival."

He suddenly slapped himself, hard enough to make himself stumble. "No! No, bad Naoki, bad! You can't think like that!" he told himself. "This is your second chance at life! You can't mess it up now!"

"She's been nothing but rude though! Slapping me, biting me, running from me – I'm trying to help her, so why is she acting like this?"

"That's how anyone would react to a stranger."

"But she knows my name. I'm not a stranger."

"She did all of that before you told her your name, so you were still a stranger!"

"But I was trying to protect her from the Kri-" He slapped himself again, almost falling over from the force of the hit.

"Enough! Do you want to cause a panic?" Stopping, he took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before turning back around. "Sorry, where were… we?" A look of worry came over his face as he saw that she had vanished. He let out a silent curse as he took off to find her.

* * *

"So he's not just a creepy stalker, he's a creepy, _crazy_ stalker. Perfect." Karin shook her head as she quickened her pace, wanting to get to her car as quickly as she could. "Really, how did he expect me to react to him? Chasing me, grabbing my arm, covering my mouth – only a weirdo would do those things! And him 'feeling' a Krimival? What a load of garbage."

She stopped mid-stride as she thought about it. When he'd said that, she had reacted as if he was right; as if there really was a Krimival nearby. "He didn't look like he was lying either… He looked really worried, actually."

An idea suddenly hit her and she immediately brought a hand to her mouth. "Mr. Tanaka said that there were people that could fight Krimivals. Wouldn't it make sense if they could… sense where they are?" Looking back towards where she came from, she frowned. "Wouldn't that make him – No, just no."

She quickly shook her head and brought her hands to her temples. "There's no way he could be one of those people, just no way! I'm – I'm just tired, a-and confused, and what Mr. Tanaka said is making me imagine things, and I just need to go home and take a nap and forget about that crazy man!"

Satisfied with what she'd told herself, she turned and went into an alleyway. In her efforts to escape Naoki while he'd been talking to himself, she'd gone a bit out of the way to lose him. That, and she had walked away from him without realizing her car was in the other direction. Thankfully, she knew the layout of the area well enough, and cutting through this alley would get her to her car quicker.

At least, that was her plan. Her plan had not, however, involved a man running towards her in fear.

"Save me, save me!" he screamed as he ran towards her, only to trip on a box someone had thrown out into the alley at some point. He landed in front of her and looked up, his eyes filled with tears as he repeated the words, "Save me," again and again.

She shook her head in disbelief. "What are you-"

"Ah, there you are!"

She jumped as the man screamed at the sound of the voice. It was deep and raspy, sounding a bit like two pieces of metal being scraped against each other. Looking at the other end of the alley, Karin screamed as she saw what the voice belonged to.

It was a Krimival, with a body made up of what looked like thorn-covered vines and blood red eyes. It tilted its dome-shaped head as it saw her. "Ooh, someone new!" it chuckled. Before she could react, a pair of vines shot from behind it and wrapped themselves around her waist. She screamed as she was lifted into the air and suddenly thrown to the ground near the Krimival, where it looked down at her in interest. "And such a pretty face… Just wait right here." Looking back to the fallen man, it let out a small laugh. "I have to punish this man for not listening."

The man let out a small cry as he scrambled to his feet, trying to get out of the alley. It proved pointless when vines suddenly wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck, and began to pull him back into the alley. "I didn't tell you to run, did I? You're supposed to ask me what to do, like a good servant, not decide on your own," the Krimival scolded. "And do you know what happens to bad servants?" The man whimpered as the small hole that was the Vine Krimival's mouth widened slightly.

"THEY GET PUNISHED!"

With a roar, the Krimival lifted the man into the air. Its remaining vines shot up after him and quickly wrapped around his body, covering everything but his head. The man screamed as the vines began to tighten, and Karin screamed with him as drops of crimson began to leak from the vines onto the Krimival, each drop making him cry out in what sounded disturbingly like pleasure.

Finally, the Krimival threw his body to the ground, revealing the damage that had been done. Karin screamed as she saw the blood covered body, and screamed again as she saw the man actually try and move. The Krimival noticed and made a sound of disgust. "Oh? Did I say you could survive that?" Its vines lifted up and began to repeatedly slam into the man, and Karin brought a hand to her mouth at the sound of the first crack of bone.

By the time it was done, the man's body was lying in a deep depression in the concrete, and the Krimival was panting heavily as its vines soaked up the blood from the attack. "A good servant does whatever the master wishes, and will do nothing but! Those who aren't willing to follow my decisions, or who make their own, are only fit for punishment!" The monster turned its head to face her, and Karin realized it was speaking to her. "You agree." It wasn't a question. It was a solid statement.

As the vines finished with the body, they came back to the Krimival and began to suck up the blood covering its body. It walked towards her as they did, its head tilted slightly. "My, my… Such a pretty little thing. And your blood! Oh, it was delicious." A little confused by what it had said, she looked down to see that, indeed, she had been injured by the vines when they'd grabbed her. "Now, stop wasting it."

She looked up at the monster in confusion, an act that only seemed to irritate it. "Well? I told you to stop bleeding, so stop!"

A cold chill ran down her spine as she realized what was about to happen. "I-I c-can't," she whispered, backing away on her hands as the creature looked down at her. "I-I can't just s-stop bleeding. Pl-please, I-I-"

"Are you… ignoring my decision?" Her eyes widened as its fists clenched. In the blink of an eye, she was lifted off the ground, its vines wrapped around her tightly as it brought her close to its face. "I told you already: A good servant does nothing but what their master wishes! I am your master and you will obey me! Stop bleeding!" it screamed, making her cry out in pain as its vines began to dig into her body.

A moan escaped its lips as some of her blood was sucked into its body. "So good… It feels so good!" It brought her closer to its face as it growled hungrily. "Stop it. Stop it right now! I didn't tell you to confuse me, but now I can't decide whether to make you my servant or to suck you dry!" A pale green vine shot from its mouth and caressed her cheek. She screamed and flinched from the contact, which only caused the thorns to dig further into her body. "Such a hard decision… But if you won't listen to me, then you're a bad servant. And bad servants… must be PUNISHED!" The vines began to tighten, and Karin found it hard to breathe. She let out a weak cry as the thorns began to dig in even deeper. She closed her eyes and waited for it to end.

"Let her go!"

Suddenly, the vines loosened, and she fell to the ground painfully. She let out a whimper from the pain but quickly recovered when she saw who was in front of her.

Naoki stood in front of her, his feet planted firmly on the ground and his hands clenched into tight fists. Beyond him, the Krimival was lying on the ground, clutching at its chest. "I knew you were around here somewhere. I guess I was just a bit lucky to run into you and the Krimival at the same time, yeah?" Turning his head, he gave her a smile, only for his eyes to widen and his head to snap back around. "Um…" He began to fumble with his jacket, eventually getting it off. "Here, you … you might want to take this," he told her, offering the jacket.

Confused, she stared at it. "But, why-"

"Just- Look at your clothes!"

"What about…" She went quiet as she finally realized what he meant. Apparently, the thorns on the vine had torn through more than just her skin, and her pantsuit was in tatters. Blushing furiously, she snatched the jacket out of his hands and hid as much of her body as she could with it. "T-thank you…"

"How!?" Naoki was interrupted from replying by a furious howl from the Krimival, which was still clutching its chest. "I'm a Krimival! I'm far stronger than any human! How… How could someone like you hurt me! It's impossible!" Its vines shuddered as it reared its head back and screamed, balling its fists at its sides.

That's when Karin saw it.

To injure a Krimival, extreme force had to be used. Some of the best known examples were the use of weapons designed to destroy heavily armored tanks, and even then it would take dozens of rounds to even scratch one of them. Regular weapons like a gun wouldn't even make a dent, and the one time someone had been foolish enough to attack one with their fists, both hands had been broken before the Krimival had even realized someone was attacking it.

This man, Naoki Akuzaki, had managed to leave an imprint of his shoe on the monster's chest with a single kick.

Grinning, Naoki shook his head. "Sorry, but the whole 'I'm a Krimival' excuse just isn't going to cut it with me. Heck, Krimivals like you aren't going to have even the smallest chance against me or any of my comrades," he said, crossing his arms. "Sorry, but we're just in a completely different class compared to you." A thoughtful look came over his face, much to the Vine Krimival's surprise. "I mean, just yesterday I watched Kaori eat a whole-"

"Enough!" the monster roared, sending out a group of its vines. They wrapped around each other to form a larger, club-like vine which struck Naoki in the side. The force of the blow shot him through the air and carried him into the side of one of buildings. The giant vine swung again and the wall of the building cracked as his body was forced into the brick. Karin watched in horror as the dust cleared and she let out a small cry when she saw his head lying against his chest.

"I've made a decision: I won't drink a single drop of your blood!" the Krimival hissed as it looked at the man's body. Slowly, the rage it felt faded away and it stopped shaking. Looking back towards Karin, it let out a weak laugh. "He decided to surprise me, apparently. But no one can fight against a Krimival." Its blood-red eyes seemed to flash as it began walking towards her. "Now…" The pale green vine shot out of its mouth as it 'licked' its 'lips'. "Where were we, before we were interrupted?"

Karin screamed and began to crawly away as it came closer and closer. It laughed and launched its vines at her, each striking the ground around her and forming a sort of cage. Finally, it got in front of her and knelt down, tilting its head to the side slightly. "I see you're still not listening to me. I guess you'll still be facing-"

"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking, you know." Karin and the Krimival's eyes widened as they heard the voice of Naoki coming from behind the two of them. Turning around, the Krimival let out a gasp as he saw Naoki step out of the indent his body had made and stretch slightly. "I mean, I guess I did the same thing just now, but I _was_ talking first, so its really only fair." He winced as a bone in his shoulder popped, but quickly shook it off. "Now, what was I saying again – Oh yeah!" Turning to face them, he smiled. "Anyway, she just took this chicken and ate the whole thing in a few minutes! It had to be some kind of record, don't you think?"

The Krimival just stared at him in shock. Its intention had been to crush him, not drink any of his blood, and its attack should have done just that. For all intents and purposes, the young man that was standing before it should be little more than a fleshy bag of broken bones, shredded muscles, and blood. And yet, here he was, laughing about some stupid chicken story like he hadn't even been hit! In fact, the only sign the Vine Krimival could even see that confirmed he'd been hit was that his shirt was torn.

"You look a little surprised," Naoki said, breaking the Krimival out of its shocked state. "Then again, it's a little hard to tell considering how your face isn't really much of a face, but still. I'm sure you're wondering 'How is he still standing!? He should be dead! Do I stand a chance against him?!' Well, you might not be thinking that last one, but the other two are pretty close, right?"

With a growl, the creature sent its vines at him. As they came at him, Naoki casually dodged each one. "Well you see, our normal bodies have to be strong and fast enough to make sure you guys can't take us down with a surprise attack," Naoki explained as he ducked under a swinging vine. "I mean, it'd be a bit disappointing if it was that easy, right?"

"Shut up!" the Krimival screamed as it ran at him, intent on beating him to death with its fists. Just like with the vines, Naoki dodged each of its strikes. "I don't understand!" It swung a right at Naoki's head, only for the young man to spin around the Krimival and get behind it. He gave it a swift kick to the back that sent it sprawling to the ground. "This is impossible! How can a human do this to me?! I'm a Krimval, dammit!"

As it got back to its feet, Naoki reached behind him and pulled something from his back pocket. It was a bright emerald green belt buckle, one that was larger and bulkier than any belt buckle really should be. As Karin looked at it, she saw that it was mechanical, and on the front , right in the middle, was a strange design. It looked like a V had been slapped over an E, with the top two legs of the E connecting with the V while the bottom leg went past it.

"You know, I haven't had a chance to use this against a real Krimival before now," Naoki admitted as he looked at the belt buckle. He tossed it into the air and caught it with his other hand. "But if the simulations and tests were right, then this should be fun!"

As Karin watched, he brought the belt buckle to his waist. A green, syrupy liquid shot out of the side and flowed around his waist, solidifying as it met the other end of the buckle and forming an emerald green belt around him. The Krimival glared at him as it finally got back to its feet, and both it and Karin watched as Naoki threw his left hand into the air, the index finger pointing to the sky. He used his other hand to slap the emblem on his belt, causing something to click inside.

**"_ARE YOU JEALOUS!?"_**

The Krimival jumped back at the sound of the loud male's voice that came from the belt buckle. "Jealous!? Jealous of what!?" Pointing at Naoki, it began to shake with rage. "You… Don't you dare even think about taunting me! I'm the boss! I'm the one in charge! I make the decisions, and I've decided you're dead meat!" The vines on its back shot into the air as Naoki lowered his left hand until the finger was right between his eyes.

"Hen…"

With a cry of anger, the monster thrust its hands forwards, commanding its appendages to descend towards Naoki. They shot down at a blinding speed, looking to impale the young man.

Naoki didn't even glance at them. "SHIN!" he called, swinging his raised hand down so it struck the emblem on his belt, which began to spin furiously.

**"_SIN OF ENVY!"_**

As the emblem spun, a black and emerald-green liquid sprayed out of it, sticking itself to Naoki's clothes and skin. As the Krimival's vines struck it, it hissed in pain as the liquid burned straight through its vines. Surprisingly, not a single drop of the liquid touched the ground or any of the surrounding area, a fact that Karin was grateful for after seeing what it had done to the Krimival.

Within a few seconds, the liquid had covered the young man's entire body, leaving him in a black, latex-like suit that covered him from head to toe. The green liquid began to harden and form armor over the suit. First, it formed shoulder, elbow, and knee pads over his joints, and then it created a thinner layer of armor over his arms and legs. His hands became covered by thick, cestus-like gloves, with emeralds embedded in the backs of the hands. Two bands of green crossed over his chest as green spirals formed around his forearms and lower legs. The young man punched his fists together and began to jump up and down, almost like a boxer as they prepare for a fight, as the green liquid formed a green and black helmet with emerald green compound eyes that flashed when the transformation finished.

"Listen up! Japan no longer has to fear the Krimivals!" the transformed young man announced, pointing his fist at the stunned Vine Krimival. "No longer shall the citizens of this great country cower in fear of the Krimival's strength! No longer will men and women suspect the people they love as being Krimivals! And most important of all: No child shall ever have to fear the monsters that lurk outside their homes!"

He raised his fist to the sky. "I am Deviant Rider Sin!" he announced.

Behind him, Karin stared wide-eyed. "Deviant Rider?" she whispered.

Bringing his fist down to his face, Naoki stared at it intently. "This is my second chance at life! I won't let it go to waste!" Looking up at the monster, he punched at it with his fist. "So, you better start begging for mercy!"

"I decide who should start begging for mercy, dammit!" The monster yelled back.

Both Rider and Krimival charged at each other, each letting loose a battle cry. The Krimival struck first, swinging a fist at Naoki's head, but the Rider simply blocked with his forearm and pushed it aside, leaving the monster open for a punch of his own. The Vine Krimival was knocked back by the force of the blow, which left an impression on its chest next to the shoeprint. "Die already!" it cried, willing its vines to strike the young man down. Each vine that came near him was caught and ripped apart. As the remains of his vines retreated to him, the Krimival looked at the ground in shock. "I-Impossible! How can you be stronger than me!?"

"I'm pretty sure I already answered that one," Naoki replied, pounding his fists together as he calmly walked towards the monster.

It attempted to wrap its arms around him and push him back, but the Rider's feet remained firmly where they were. Instead, Naoki wrapped his arms around the Krimival's sides and pushed, actually managing to lift it from the ground. The Krimival screamed as Naoki ran forwards with it, knocking over piles of trash that had been left in the alleyway until finally they both entered the street ahead. Not bothering to stop, Naoki plowed headfirst into a truck that was sitting on the side of the road in front of them, burying the monster in the metal. On impact, he released, and the force of the charge carried the truck and monster to the other side of the street. All around him, citizens ran in terror, only to stop when they saw him reach into the warped metal of the truck and pull the Krimival out, tossing it to the ground.

Behind him, Karin managed to reach the end of the alleyway, using the wall as support and clutching the jacket tightly to her body. She, along with everyone else, watched as the Deviant Rider ducked and weaved around the Krimival, which was striking out with its fists wildly. Occasionally, Naoki would counter with a punch of his own, and soon he was practically running circles around it.

As she watched, Karin finally realized something that shocked her: Naoki was toying with the Krimival.

It was like a drunkard trying to hit a black belt, or a kid trying to punch at an adult. That was the difference in skill and power between the Krimival and Naoki. If she wasn't watching it firsthand, Karin wouldn't be able to believe it: A Krimival, one of the unstoppable terrors that had been plaguing Japan for the past two years, so strong that the police and SDF stood no chance against them and were slaughtered every time they encountered one, capable of holding the entire city of Tokyo in fear, was being beaten by a young man who was doing little more than playing with it.

The terror of their lives was being beaten by a human.

Karin felt something wash over her as she saw the Krimival jump away from Naoki, only to fall to the ground in exhaustion. Naoki, on the other hand, just brushed his chin with his fist. For the first time ever, she could say that the Krimival didn't scare her.

Because now, there was someone stronger, a young man, protecting her.

"Time to finish this," Naoki said as he lowered his left fist. With it, he slapped the emblem on his belt buckle, causing the armor on the suit to begin glowing with energy.

"I… didn't say this was over!" the Krimival panted, staggering to its feet. With a roar, it forced its vines to grow back and sent them flying towards him. "I decide when it ends and who it ends for, not you!" it declared, a plan already forming in its head as it saw the young man charging at it with his fists raised. The young man had done nothing but punch their entire fight, so if the Krimival could simply dodge the next punch, he'd be able to counter.

Naoki dodged the vines that came towards him, bobbing and weaving past them with practiced ease. As he closed the distance, he reared his fist back. "Jealousy Rider…" Just as the Krimival expected then. When they were only a few feet away, too close for Naoki to defend or change plans, the Vine Krimival ducked, preparing to let the punch fly over its head.

"KICK!"

The Krimival looked on in shock as Naoki, spinning around and using his other foot for support, drove his lowered boot into its face, sending it sprawling backwards. Green energy began to erupt from its body as it stumbled to its feet. "No! I decide… I decide what you do next, not you!" Large geysers of green energy erupted from its back, sending it to its knees. "This – This isn't happening! I'm a Krimival!" it cried.

"You're just a human!"

The Krimival let out an agonized cry as its body exploded into a green fireball that enveloped Naoki. Swinging his arms, the Deviant Rider dispelled the fire and smoke that covered him before walking over to a small pile of ashes and kneeling down beside it.

"I'm a sinner, just like you were," he whispered. The ashes of the Krimival were picked up by a sudden gust of wind and blown away as Naoki looked on. "The only difference is that I wish to be forgiven for my sins."

Standing up, he seemed to suddenly realize that he was in a public area, and the people around him were all staring at him in awe. Rubbing the back of his helmet in embarrassment, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

* * *

Tanaka reclined in an armchair, relaxing after the conference he had just held. It felt good to know that the Krimival problem was finally coming to an end. Now, he'd decided there would be no better way to end the day than with a nice glass of wine. The bottle was already uncorked and on his desk, and he held a half-filled wine glass in his hand. He was about to take a sip when there was a knock on the door. "Enter," he said.

His young secretary entered, carefully shutting the door behind her. Just by looking at her one could tell she was nervous and she only came halfway into the room before stopping and giving him a respectful bow. "Um, sir, Ms. Nazami has requested you check the news. Apparently, there is something rather important that you need to see," she told him nervously.

"Very well. You may go." He waved his hand and she left the room as quickly as she entered. Picking up the remote from his desk, he turned in his chair and faced the wall. With the press of a button, a section of the wall sunk inwards and split as a television screen came out from within it. He pressed the power button on the remote.

"_-defeated a Krimival."_ Tanaka nearly dropped his glass at what he heard. What he saw made his lip curl up in disgust: Naoki Akuzaki, still wearing the armor of Deviant Rider Sin, celebrating with men, women, and children in the streets. _"I repeat: This man behind me has just defeated a Krimival with his bare hands, as the people around me have said. Could this be what Maruo Tanaka was talking about at today's press conference? And if so, how long will it be before all the Krimival have been defeated?"_

"That idiot," he whispered to himself as he pressed a button on the remote. The screen instantly froze on an image of Sin surrounded by men and women who were cheering for him. Naoki himself had his arms in the air, and even with the helmet Tanaka could tell he was smiling. "The Deviant Riders weren't supposed to appear for another week." Taking his glass, he threw his head back and drank it all in one go before pouring another and repeating the process.

"If only they knew the truth," he said. Standing up, he walked over to the screen and smiled. "They cheer for you now, Naoki Akuzaki, so savor this moment while you still can. For soon, the Deviant Riders will be the bane of everyone's existence. But you… Your name shall be cursed by everyone." He stared at the image for moment before shutting off the television and walking away, a thin smile on his face.

* * *

**_NEXT TIME ON KAMEN RIDER SIN!_**

**_"Finally, we have hope in our country's struggle against the Krimivals..."_**

**_"Seven Deviant Riders!? There's six more like you!?"_**

**_"ARE YOU VAIN!?"_**


	3. Episode 2: The Sin of Arrogance

In one of the many deserted buildings in Tokyo, a lone man sat in silence, the full moon's light illuminating himself and his surroundings, staring intently at the television screen in front of him. It rested on a plastic crate like the one he was on, or like one of the many that were in the large pile in the corner. He was young, with shoulder length hair that had been dyed blonde, and there was a deep scowl on his face. "How dare he," he muttered, his hands balling into tight fists that rested on his knees.

On the television was a blurry video of two figures fighting in the middle of a street, likely taken from the cell phone of some bystander. Despite the relatively poor quality, anyone could easily tell that one was a Krimival, though the other figure would be enough to give one pause. It looked like a man in green armor with a black bodysuit underneath. Surprisingly, the man in green armor appeared to actually be beating the Krimival, a feat thought impossible.

Jin Shimaki's anger only grew as he saw Sin defeat the Krimival, and subsequently get swarmed by people coming to celebrate what he had done.

"_Once again, we would like to repeat that the impossible has happened: a man has managed to defeat a Krimival!"_ a female newscaster said excitedly, repeating what practically every news channel in Tokyo, and possibly in the entirety of Japan, had been saying ever since the fight had happened. _"We'd like to show you an interview one of our reporters managed to have with this 'Deviant Rider,' where he had a strong message to give to the Krimivals."_

Jin shook his head in disgust as the image onscreen changed to show Sin surrounded by people, reaching out to touch their new hero. Sin simply waved at them, looking like the idiot Jin knew he was beneath the armor. A female reporter, young and with a smile on her face so wide it didn't seem possible, managed to squeeze through the crowd of people and reach him, a microphone in her hands. _"Excuse me!"_ she called, trying to be heard over the cheering mass of people.

Sin turned as he heard the reporter, flinching as he looked towards the camera – apparently he hadn't expected this. As the reporter came closer, he simply began to look back and forth between her and the camera. _"You're the one that everyone's talking about, right? The mysterious warrior who beat the Krimival?"_ the reporter asked before hold the microphone up to Sin's mouth-plate.

He nodded slowly. _"Um, I guess so – Wait, did you say everyone? Like, __**everyone**__ everyone?" _he asked, shocked. When the reporter only nodded in response, he began to sheepishly rub the back of his helmet. _"Wow, um… I really didn't think it was that impressive. I was just doing what I was supposed to do, you know?"_

The reporter laughed, seemingly amused by his surprise. _"Well, what did you expect, showing up and beating one of the Krimival?" _she asked in a joking manner. _"After all, fighting a Krimival in the middle of the street will definitely draw attention, and beating it – well, you can tell what that will do for you, seeing the fan club you've got around you." _She swept a hand towards the people around them, whose cheering seemed to grow louder at the mentioning of them being his fans.

Jin's eyes narrowed at what the reporter had just said. It made no sense to him how the idiot could possibly get himself a fan club. If anyone deserved even an ounce of attention, than it should be him, not the fool on the screen! "All because he was in the right place at the right time… Dammit, if I'd been there, they'd be _worshiping_ the very ground I walked on!"

"_F-Fanclub?"_ Sin looked back towards the cheering crowd and slowly shook his head. _"Really, I had no idea. I was just doing my job as a Deviant Rider."_ Noticing the look of confusion on the reporter's face, he clarified, _"That's what I am. I'm a Deviant Rider, Deviant Rider Sin."_

"_Deviant Rider Sin, huh? Well, that's certainly an interesting name for a hero, don't you think?"_ The reporter laughed as Sin looked away, as if he were embarrassed. _"Of course, while its nice to know what to call you now, Mr. Sin, I'm sure that the audience would love to know the real name of the man who just beat a Krimival by himself. How about you tell the citizens of Tokyo the name of their new hero?"_

Sin slowly shook his head. _"I'm sorry, but I really can't. Mr. Tanaka said that we're not supposed to let our true identities be known to the public. Something about protection of ourselves and those around us, I think." _The reporter had a disappointed look on her face, as did many of the people in the crowd, but it was replaced with a look of surprise as the armored man took the microphone from the young woman's hands. _"Sorry," _he said, looking at the reporter, _"but can I use this?" _She said nothing and only smiled. Sin nodded in response and turned to look at the camera.

"_While I can't say who I am, I can say this!"_ He pointed straight at the camera, and even with the mask you could sense the determination in his eyes. _"This is message to all of you Krimivals out there, so if you're watching this, you'd better listen up! The Deviant Riders are here, and we will purge each and every one of you from Japan, starting with Tokyo!"_ A loud cheer rose up at his words, with the young reporter adding in her cries of support. _"It's time to face the consequences! Krimivals, the Deviant Riders will be your judge, jury, and executioners, so if you don't want to be punished, I've got one piece of advice for you." _He paused and looked around at the crowd, then back to the camera.

"_Start begging for mercy!"_ he cried, punching towards the camera with his free hand. The cheers became incredibly loud, deafeningly so, and Sin let out a yell of surprise as people began to rush him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

The image on screen changed and the newscaster came back, a smile on her face. _"As you can all see, the man known as Deviant Rider Sin has promised to eliminate the Krimival threat that has been plaguing Japan for the past two years. Finally, we have hope in our struggle against the Krimivals, and it is all thanks to Deviant Rider Sin-"_

"Like hell it is!" Jin roared, grabbing the crate he was sitting on and throwing it at the television. It hit the corner, knocking it to the ground. Moving over to it, he let out a deep growl as he raised his foot and stomped through the screen, shattering the device. "I should be the one being praised by the peasants, not him! I'm the King, the leading actor, the brightest star in the sky, and I won't let anyone take that from me!" He let out a series of long, deep breaths as his shoulders began to shake in barely controlled anger. He was gritting his teeth and his hands were balled tight enough to turn his knuckles white, and at any moment it seemed like he'd burst.

Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Fine then! If he wants to try and steal my spotlight, then I'll just direct my own play, with me as the star." Reaching to his sides, he felt the two objects that hung from his waist and smiled. "Now, all I have to do is find the supporting cast, and the show will begin!"

* * *

"Man, is this what they mean by the price of fame?" Naoki, still in Deviant Rider form, groaned as he ducked into an alley, not unlike the one that he'd encountered the Vine Krimival in, save the dead body, blood, and destroyed wall. Looking up at the sky, he shook his head at what he saw: the moon was high in the sky, full and hanging right over him. "That took longer than I thought it would," he muttered.

The sound of feet on pavement made him flinch, and he plastered himself against the wall just as a crowd of people ran by him, shouting for Sin. When he was sure they'd run by, he let out a sigh of relief and undid the transformation, taking the belt buckle off of his waist. The armor seemingly melted into the black-and-green liquid from before, dropping off of his body to the ground, where it simply vanished upon contact. He pocketed the belt buckle and stretched his arms, glad to be freed from the suit. He'd gotten caught up in the celebrations and couldn't undo the transformation, and while the armor wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, it still felt nice to have it off. "Still, it's nice to know that they're all happy enough to celebrate, so I guess it was worth it," he told himself. A smile on his face, he walked out of the alley, ready to go home.

"Hey, you!" Naoki cringed at the sound of the voice. Turning to face the owner, he saw a group of people that he recognized from the celebrating crowds. "Have you seen Sin anywhere?" a man asked

Naoki tilted his head, doing his best to look confused. "Um… Who?"

The man shook his head. "How do you not – Ah, it'll be on the news. You'll see him then. Anyway, he's a guy in black and green armor, with a helmet. You can't miss him."

Looking back to the alley, Naoki frowned. "Well, I saw someone who looked sorta like that run past me in that alley. I thought he was just wearing a costume or something." Looking back to the crowd, he shrugged. "Maybe that was him?" The man in front of him didn't say anything, but instead nodded. A second later the group was heading into the alley. Naoki let out a small chuckle and shook his head. He hadn't sensed any Krimivals around, so they'd be safe, and they probably wouldn't search for too much longer anyhow. Grinning, he took a step down the sidewalk towards his home.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Naoki jumped at the familiar voice and quickly spun around. Despite having just been victim of a Krimival attack, she looked fine – the fact that she was alive and had all of her limbs intact was an utter miracle considering most victims of Krimival attacks. Looking her over, Naoki quirked an eyebrow. The pantsuit she had been wearing had been shredded last he'd seen her. Now she was wearing a loose shirt with long sleeves and baggy sweatpants, with something held in her arms. Naoki was about to comment on how well she looked, when he noticed the bandages poking from under her sleeves and around her neck.

Still, seeing her up and walking was enough to make him happy. "You're okay!" he shouted, a beaming smile on his face, only for it to slowly turn downwards into a frown. "I'm sorry I didn't come back and check on you after I beat the Krimival. Everyone was just so excited and they wanted to talk to me. I wanted to get away and get you some help, but I really couldn't take two steps without getting mobbed." Feeling ashamed, he lowered his head and looked away.

The woman smiled and shook her head. "Hey, no need to look so down. I'm still alive, aren't I?" When he didn't say anything, she took a step forward, a little worried. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You saved me, after all, and I managed to get someone to bring me to the hospital. It all turned out alright, so stop acting so sad, Naoki."

Hearing his name being said made the young man's head spin. Looking up, he fixed her with a confused look. "Did… Did you just call me Naoki?"

"Well, yeah. You already introduced yourself to me, and you saved me from a monster. I don't think you count as a stranger anymore," she said. His mouth slowly turned upwards in a smile at her words, and as he picked his head up, she took what was in her arms and held it out to him. "By the way, I think this belongs to you." Naoki nodded and accepted his jacket from her. As he put it on, she crossed her arms and looked at him. "Probably should've listened to you about the Krimival thing. I'm really not looking forward to the hospital bill."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Naoki said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll just ask Mr. Tanaka to pay it for you. He's loaded, and since he's in charge of everything, I'm sure he'd be alright with it." He paused and furrowed his brow in thought. "Maybe he will," he muttered to himself.

The young woman raised an eyebrow at what he'd just said. "Wait, so Mr. Tanaka's in charge of you?" Naoki nodded as he finished putting on his jacket, patting it down to get off any dirt and to smooth it out. Surprised, she placed a hand to her chin. "Huh… I thought he was just the guy in charge of announcing the whole thing. I didn't expect him to be the boss."

"Yep, he's the boss. We're all supposed to report to him at the end of the week. I think he just wants to go over a few things with us, like where we're going to be stationed or…" He trailed off, the grin on his face disappearing. "Oh man," he groaned as his hand met the side of his head. "I just remembered! Mr. Tanaka told us that we can't transform or fight until next week. I'm going to be in so much trouble…"

While Naoki was cursing his luck, the young woman was staring at him in shock, her brain trying to process something that he'd just said. "Did you just say we?" she asked. Bringing a hand up to her ears, she snapped a few times. "Okay, I'm not going deaf, so that's good," she told herself. Looking at Naoki, who was looking at her oddly, she smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, but I think I may have misunderstood what you just said. When you said 'we,' you meant you and Mr. Tanaka, right?"

Naoki frowned and put his hand s into the pockets of his jacket, staring at her blankly. "No, I meant me and the other six Deviant Riders. I mean, there'd have to be more than one of us," he told the young woman, not noticing her eyes slowly widen. "You can't really expect one man to beat an entire race of monsters himself, can ya?"

She blinked. "So… there's seven of you?" she asked slowly. She was starting to feel a bit dizzy; this entire day had taken its toll on her, but it seemed like it wasn't over yet. When the young man just nodded, she nearly fainted. "So there's seven of you!? Seven Deviant Riders!? There's six more like you!?" she screamed, hardly able to believe what he was telling her. Seeing one person beat a Krimival was amazing enough. Finding out that there were six more just like him, though, was enough to overload someone's brain.

Which is how she suddenly found herself falling forwards, grabbing onto Naoki's body before she hit the ground.

"Hey!" he cried out, grabbing her shoulders as she slumped against him. "Hey, are you alright?" Worried, he put a hand to her face to try and get her attention, only to pull it away when he felt how hot she was. "Oh man, you're burning up!" he told her, and she weakly nodded in response.

"Funny what happens when you escape the hospital after being attacked by a Krimival," she said quietly, her voice weak. She let out a small groan of pain. "They stuck an IV in my arm. Probably to pump painkillers or something to keep me healthy in. I'm starting to think it's wearing off," she told him, "because right now, I feel like someone just set me on fire." Pain was lancing through her body and Naoki was currently the only thing keeping her on her feet.

Shaking his head in disbelief, quickly turned around and placed her arms around his neck. She let out a small cry of surprise as he grabbed her legs and lifted her up, placing her on his back. "I've got to get you back to the hospital. You might have gotten some kind of infection from your injuries." He began to walk towards where he knew the nearest hospital was, only to stop when she tightened her grip around his neck. "Hey, what's-"

"Don't take me back," she told him, her voice cracking slightly. "I don't want to have to be stuck in a hospital bed like that. Just get me some medicine and some painkillers, and I should be fine by morning." There was silence between the two of them, and she added, "Please. I promise I'll be fine."

Naoki sighed, feeling torn between what he should do. It would probably be for the best if he took her to the hospital as soon as possible. The doctors there would be able to get her the medicine she needed and she'd be safe. If he didn't, wouldn't he just be risking her life? Though that left the question of why she escaped. Surely she had known that, so why put herself in danger when she was already weak. Twisting his head to look at her, his mouth turned downwards slightly. She'd done this to look for him, he imagined, and there wasn't a guarantee that she'd stay there if he brought her back to the hospital. He hung his head as he realized that she would just escape again, and she'd probably end up worse than she was.

"…Fine," he muttered after mulling it over. "If you don't want to go so badly, then I'll bring you back to my place. You can rest on my couch, and I'll give you some medicine I have. It's some pretty strong stuff." Looking over his shoulder to face her, he gave her a stern look. "But if you start to get any worse, I'm taking you to the hospital, no arguing."

"That's fine," she said, nodding weakly before letting her head rest on his shoulders. "I promise that if I start getting worse, I'll let you take me back."

Naoki breathed out a sigh of relief and began walking towards where he lived. A few minutes passed before he heard laughter coming from the young woman he was carrying. "What's so funny?" he asked, genuinely curious and mildly worried it was caused by the fever.

"Well, it's just that it's funny how things have changed since earlier," she told him, a small smile on her face. "I mean, I was running away from you because I thought you were a stalker, and now you've saved my life and have become the city's hero." She giggled a little. "And now I'm riding on the back of the stranger I met today."

"Hey, you know my name. So we're not strangers anymore, right?"

She smiled. "I just realized something. I know your name, but you don't know mine. Did you realize that?" Naoki shook his head no, and she chuckled. "Then I guess I'm still a stranger to you then, Naoki."

Naoki smiled and chuckled himself, realizing just what she was talking about. "Well, you can tell me your name now, if you want. Then we won't be strangers with each other," he said.

She smiled. "I'm Karin. Karin Inoue. It's nice to meet you, Naoki Akuzaki."

"It's nice to meet you too, Karin Inoue," he replied.

Still smiling, Karin let her head rest on Naoki's shoulder and closed her eyes. A second later, Naoki heard her breathing and realized she'd fallen asleep. Shaking his head, he continued on towards his apartment, with the full moon lighting the way above them.

* * *

It was relatively early in the morning, only around seven, but at one of the busiest intersections in the middle of Shibuya, hundreds of people walked the streets. It was dangerous for so many people to be gathered in one place, as any one of them could be a Krimival in disguise, but even with the threat of a Krimival attack, men and women still had jobs to do. The citizens of Japan still went to their jobs, despite the rising Krimival attack rate, all for the sake of feeding their families. People constantly were in motion, never stopping, until a video that they'd all seen on the news last night popped up on one of the massive screens surrounding the intersection. Dozens of men and women stopped to point at the image of Deviant Rider Sin defeating the Vine Krimival, some of them cheering.

Among these people, one young man simply stared at the screen, his face expressionless. As he watched the Krimival explode into green flames, he clenched his jaw hard enough to make his teeth creak, and his fingernails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood. Spinning around, he flipped the hood of his jacket over his head and stalked off, leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk.

"_**How dare they!"**_ Beneath the hood, half of the young man's face had disappeared, covered by a dark mist. Within it, a mass of thick white fur with one bulbous eye that kept spinning in its socket could be seen. It bared its sharp teeth and let out a low growl. _**"How dare they make fun of us! Do they actually believe they have any hope against the Krimival?"**_ the monster asked, its voice coming from the young man's own mouth.

"Yeah, they do," the young man replied, a scowl on his face. "You saw what that Sin guy did to that Krimival. He managed to kick its ass in broad daylight. Of course these people are going to start thinking they have a hope."

"_**Then they know nothing,"**_ the beast snapped, its eye rolling wildly. _**"It was a new-born, the weakest that a Krimival could possibly be compared to others. He had no experience controlling his powers as a Krimival, and he hadn't even awoken his true power."**_ Something resembling a grin found its way onto the monster's face, showing more of its sharp teeth. _**"But if it were us, Sin wouldn't stand a chance."**_

The young man stopped in his tracks, a grin just like the monster's appearing on his side of his face. "We are stronger, much stronger. Sin wouldn't stand a chance in hell against us. And if we were to kill this Sin guy…" A low chuckle escaped his mouth as the grin grew. "Can you imaging what would happen to these people if he was dead?"

"_**This stupid hope of theirs will die with him!"**_ The monster chuckled along with the man. _**"They will all remember who their masters are! They will know that there is no hope against the Krimivals, and if they don't, we'll crush them like the ants they are!"**_

"And I'd get to destroy some more," the man added. "I'd love to see some more destruction, to bring down some walls and wreck some property. Maybe bring a roof down on some idiots' heads." Looking up, he looked around at the area around him. "A murder spree and massive property damage. Sounds like a good plan to get Sin here, doesn't it?"

"_**It sounds perfect."**_

The young man let out a roar as the rest of his face was covered by a mist, startling the people around him. His hood exploded into scraps of fabric as his horns spiraled from his head. His new head was like a ram's, with two bulbous eyes that constantly spun around in their socket, and a burst of steam erupted from its snout. The Ram Krimival let out another roar, revealing its fangs and letting saliva drip to the ground, while the rest of its body began to grow.

"Krimival!" someone cried, and suddenly everyone was in a panic to escape.

The Ram Krimival cackled at the sight of them fleeing as its transformation finished. "Run! Run and pray that I don't find you! There is no hope against the Krimivals!" it shouted, sounding like a man and a roaring beast. Looking down at its body, it smiled broadly. It was massive, twice as tall as the young man had been, with a massive upper body that didn't seem to match the skinnier lower half. Its arms ended in large, hoof-like clubs that it raised above its head. "I'll destroy everything, including this stupid hope you have!" it declared as it brought its hooves down. A powerful shockwave struck out from where it struck, the force throwing men and women through the air, tipping over cars, and even breaking the concrete on the road and the stone of a nearby building.

"I'll destroy everything!" it bellowed as it raised its arms again, unaware that a young man with blonde hair was watching it, a devious look on his face.

"Looks like I just found the first member of the cast," he chuckled to himself, the objects around his waist clinking.

* * *

Naoki twisted the cap off of the bottle of pain killers he'd found in the special first-aid kit Tanaka and his subordinates had given each of the Deviant Riders. Pouring four of the pills out and shaking his head at their size, he set the bottle down and grabbed the glass of water he'd gotten Karin before walking over to where she lay.

They'd both made it back to his house rather late, or early considering it was around 1:30 in the morning, and Naoki had immediately set to getting her some medicine, but had stopped when he'd picked up the bottle of antibiotics that had also been in the kit. At first, he had been worried that the medicine in the first-aid kit would be too strong for her, but a note he found on the bottle informed him that it was perfectly safe for a normal human to consume. The same went for the painkillers, to his relief.

"Here, these are for you," he told her as he sat down on the plastic crate beside the couch. His apartment was almost completely barren, considering he'd only gotten it and moved in four days ago. All he really had was a small television that was resting on another plastic crate and a single futon in his bedroom. And of course, there was the couch in the living room that Karin had been sleeping on since they'd arrived. "For the pain," he explained as she looked at the huge pills.

"Thanks. Probably should've taken these before I fell asleep, though," she admitted before taking them one at a time. "I was just so tired, and-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," he told her, holding up a hand. Truthfully, he'd been a little worried that she'd passed out after he'd given her the antibiotics, but he assumed that she was just tired from everything. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Still burning up?" Naoki asked, the worry clear in his voice.

She shook her head. "No, the fever's gone. I still feel like I've been run over by a truck, though. Guess Krimival attacks do that to you," she said, chuckling a little at the end. Naoki smiled, realizing that if she could laugh, that she must be getting better. She took another sip of water before turning to look at him, questions that she'd wanted to ask earlier resurfacing. "You know, I've been wondering why you just didn't destroy that Krimival earlier. If you could sense it, couldn't you have searched it out and taken care of it?"

Naoki sighed and shook his head. "I wish it were that easy," he admitted, "but it doesn't work like that. I can't really sense where it _is_, just if there's one close by. It helps if they're not in human form, too, but I'm not sure why. That's why I was so worried yesterday; one was close, but I wasn't sure where." Karin nodded as she began to understand just why he had seemed so frantic when he'd tried to keep her from leaving the building. "Besides, I couldn't have left if I wanted to. Mr. Tanaka said that I had to stay until the conference was over."

"Why's that?"

"He wanted one of us there if a Krimival showed up and attacked the conference."

Karin nodded, realizing that made sense. Having someone like Naoki around would be smart if there was a Krimival disguised as a reporter at the conference, preparing for a chance to attack, or maybe kill, a high-ranked official in the government. It was why the Prime Minister hadn't been seen in the last year except in televised announcements. A Krimival could easily get past whatever security that was set up, but having Naoki or one of the other Deviant Riders around would solve that problem.

"Hey! I have an idea!" Naoki said loudly, startling Karin out of her thoughts and almost making her spill her water. He grabbed the TV remote and waved it slightly. "Let's check the news. I want to know what they're saying about me." He pressed the power button, only to let out a disappointed moan when it didn't work. "Dead batteries? Really?" Standing up, he walked over to the set to turn it on manually.

Karin sighed as she watched him flick through the channels. She'd interviewed enough people to know when they wanted to avoid a question, and Naoki was showing all the signs of that. Then again, she figured that he probably had told her too much as it was. If the Deviant Riders weren't even supposed to be deployed until next week, then Naoki's transformation was bad enough. Only he knew how much trouble he could get in for talking about the Riders, and Karin didn't want to see that happen. He was already going to get enough flak for leaving the building early, she assumed. She was about to ask him how mad Mr. Tanaka would be when he found the news station.

"_Everyone, there is an emergency! A Krimival has been sighted in Shibuya! I repeat, a Krimival is attacking in Shibuya! Please, stay out of the area until an all-clear has been given. Emergency personnel are already rushing to the scene, and we have visuals of the attack itself. We advise you to view this with discretion due to the graphic nature of the attack."_

Both Naoki and Karin were shocked speechless by the words of the female newscaster. He stepped away from the screen as it changed to an aerial view of the intersection where the attack was taking place, being broadcasted live from a helicopter. On the ground was a white Krimival that looked like a humanoid ram. They watched in horror as it slammed its massive club-like hooves into a support pillar for a building, shattering the concrete and rebar like it was Styrofoam.

"I'll destroy everything! Everything!" it roared, loud enough for the microphones in the copter to pick up. "I'll restore our reputation! The Krimivals will be feared again! I'll destroy Sin, and this entire city if I have too! Destroy everything!"

"Why does it want to destroy me so badly? What'd I ever do to it?" Naoki asked, confused by how angry it sounded when it said his name and surprised that it knew his name.

"Isn't it obvious?" Karin asked, making Naoki turn to face her. She had a serious look on her face, which surprised him. "The Krimivals are all going to be just as mad as that one is, because of what you did. You beat a Krimival, by yourself, and now Japan isn't as afraid of the Krimivals," she explained. "You practically declared war on them, Naoki. People don't fear them as much, and they don't want to lose the control they had. They'll do whatever it takes to get it back."

Naoki said nothing but turned back to the television, his face not showing any emotion. They both watched in silence as the monster rampaged, calling for Naoki. It was horrific to see just how much damage it could do, but when Naoki suddenly turned around, Karin was shocked to see just how angry he looked. Angry enough to be pulling the SIN Driver from his pocket. At first, she wasn't sure what had set him off. The destruction was terrible, but it wasn't anything too different from a usual attack. Then she saw what the camera had zoomed in on, and she felt a cold chill go down her spine.

Beneath a pile of rubble, there were several arms and legs sticking out in various places, bent at various angles.. One or two of the limbs looked disturbingly… child-like. A steady red pool was forming around the mound as blood leaked from the ruins.

"I'm sorry, Karin, but this is my job," he said as he placed the belt buckle to his waist. The liquid shot out and wrapped around, forming the emerald green belt. He walked over to the window. "I'm going to take care of this monster."

"Naoki, they just said the Krimival was in Shibuya!" she pointed out. "That's practically on the other side of the city. There's no way you can make it in time on foot! How do you think you'll get there before it destroys everything?"

"I have a way," he answered simply before slapping the emblem on his SIN Driver.

"_**ARE YOU JEALOUS!?"**_

"Henshin!"

Without doing any of the motions he did yesterday, Naoki struck the emblem on the belt buckle, causing it to spin furiously and release a black-and-green liquid.

"_**SIN OF ENVY!"**_

Karin watched in amazement as the liquid coated Naoki's body, creating the black bodysuit and then the green armor on top of it. It had been incredible the first time she had seen it, but it was still just as amazing to see it happen again. Within a few seconds, the liquid had formed his armor, and Naoki, donned completely in Sin's armor, turned to look at her as his eyes flashed brightly. "Get some rest while I do my job," he told her, giving her a small wave. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Before she could say anything else, he opened the window to his apartment and jumped out of it. Karin blinked at what he'd just done, considering that he'd told her he lived five floors up. A moment later she rolled off of the couch and began to crawl over to the window as fast as she could. Looking out, she felt her head start to spin at just how high up she was, though she blamed the medicine and the fever just as much. Shaking off the feeling of nausea, she watched as Naoki sprinted towards the parking lot across the street.

Following his path, she let her eyes travel forwards and saw what he was running to. It was a bright green sports motorcycle with black highlights that looked both fast and sturdy. She guessed it could probably handle on-road and off-road travel from the way it was built, and even from this distance she could see it was expensive, easily triple what her own car cost. It was impressive just to look at, and she was sure it would look even more impressive with Naoki on it.

That is, if he hadn't run past it.

She watched blankly as he ran over to a bike rack where only one, single bicycle was locked up, plain and unimpressive. She shook her head in utter disbelief as he began patting down his sides, like he was trying to find his keys to the lock, and she almost felt like crying, though whether it was from how funny or how sad this was she wasn't sure. Finally, she saw him realize that he was in Rider form, and therefore had no pockets, and simply snapped the chain off of the wheel before hopping on it.

"To Shibuya!" she heard him yell.

At the very least, it seemed he could pedal faster than most people, since he took off like a bullet on the bicycle, but Karin still couldn't bear to watch the hero who had saved her, the man who had saved her from a Krimival and had given hope to the entire country, ride such a pathetic little bicycle. She crawled away from the window and back onto the couch, resigning herself to watch the news and silently praying that he'd somehow make it in time.

"_I repeat, the Krimival has entered the parking garage. It is unknown what is occurring within, but we can only assume the worst at the moment," _the reporter said as the helicopter hovered in front of said parking garage. _"Again, emergency personnel are on-scene, but- Wait a minute. What is- Is that a man?"_ Karin sat up as the camera zoomed in on a figure with blonde hair walking towards the garage the Krimival was in. _"I-I don't believe this! A man has entered the building with the Krimival! He's walking towards the Krimival!"_

"Naoki, please hurry," Karin whispered as she watched the man disappear into the parking garage.

* * *

"Faster! I need to go faster!"

To say that Naoki's ability to pedal fast would be an understatement. He was pedaling harder and faster than most professionals athletes could even dream of. However, in spite of all of his efforts, he was still on a bicycle. A bicycle that could only go so fast or be pushed so far without breaking down. He was fast enough to be able to shoot past some slower moving cars and make a few women scream as he shot past, but it was nowhere near fast enough to get to Shibuya in time.

Not even close to how fast it would need to be.

"This is stupid! Everyone else has a car or an awesome motorcycle! Why am I stuck just riding a bike!?" Slowly, Naoki began to recall something that he'd been told about the SIN Driver. Something about it being able to interact with other objects. When he finally remembered, he nearly fell off the bike. "How could I forget this?" he asked, placing a hand to his forehead as he kept pedaling. Shaking his head, he slapped the symbol on the SIN Driver.

"_**JEALOUS CHANGE! MACHINE LEVIADER!"**_

"All right!" Naoki cried as the emblem began spinning again, spraying the black-and –emerald green liquid, though instead of coating him, it coated his bike instead. The green liquid began to form around the frame of the bike, taking a shape of its own, as the front began to change shape. Soon, it resembled the head of a scaled serpent, with the headlights of the bike for eyes. As the green liquid did its job, the black transformed the wheels, making them thicker and stronger. Finally, both liquids came together when the look of the machine was completed, forming the machinery of the motorcycle itself. When it finished, the bicycle had become a fierce looking emerald green and black motorcycle.

Naoki laughed as he revved the engine, making it roar like a beast, and as the Machine Leviader sped off, weaving through the traffic, people could hear an excited laugh coming from the green and black blur.

* * *

"You know, if you want attention, you're going about it the wrong way."

The Ram Krimival stopped just as it was about to crush another support pillar with its hooves and turned around slowly, looking in the direction of the voice. Standing behind him was a young man, his hair hanging to his shoulders and dyed blonde. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, wearing a baggy t-shirt with tight jeans. A chain had been threaded through the belt loop, hanging off on either side, and there were two strange objects that appeared to be golden halves of some kind of circle. The Krimival snorted at the appearance of this stranger, and raised an arm at him.

To its surprise, the man just chuckled. "Oh, come on. I walk in here, with a dangerous monster like you, and this is it? You can do better than that, and I'm not just talking about that measly little threat you just made," the young man said, walking around the Krimival with a casual air. "I mean, all you're doing right now is messing up a deserted garage. Do you think anyone's going to care about that?" The man stopped and turned to face the Krimival, giving it a smile. "If you want to make headlines, go and do some killing. I'm pretty sure I saw some people run into a building nearby."

The Ram Krimival lowered its arm and started to scratch at its head with the other hoof. "Wait, are you actually telling me to go and kill people?" When he just shrugged, the monster shook its head. "Isn't that kinda… the opposite of what you should be saying? Usually people beg us Krimivals not to kill anyone."

The man shook his head and chuckled. Pointing off to the right, he looked at the Krimival. "You see that building there? There's a shelter built inside in order to protect people from Krimival attacks." The Ram Krimival turned to look at where this strange young man was pointing, and let out a snort of steam at the idea that any shelter could protect people from itself. "It's all garbage, though. Just a nice way of making a bunch of idiots feel safe, but if they'd even watched the news once in the past two years, they'd know you Krimivals can tear through bank vaults with ease." The man let out another chuckle, this time using his hand to cover his mouth. "It's pathetic, really, if you think about it."

The monster nodded in agreement as it continued to look at the building. Turning back to the young man, it stared at him. "I still don't understand why you'd tell me this. I mean, you're a human, and they're humans, so shouldn't you be trying to protect them from me?"

"It's because I know how you feel," the young man answered, taking a step towards the Krimival. "The Krimivals have had Japan ripped from their grasp by Sin, haven't they? He's stolen your spotlight, and now you feel like the lead actor who's just been replaced with some two-bit hack who couldn't put on a good show to save his life." The man took another step towards the Krimival and rested a hand on its arm. "I know, because the same thing happened to me. And it's a terrible thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." The Ram Krimival nodded. "We're supposed to be feared by people, but that bastard Sin came in and gave people hope that we could be stopped! Well, when I crush him, I'll crush every little bit of hope that they had." Looking down at the man, it flashed him a smile filled with sharp teeth. "And you were right, that's exactly how I feel. So thank you, for letting me know how to get my spotlight back."

In a flash, the monster struck out, striking the man in the chest with its hooves and sending him into a nearby support pillar. He crashed into it and rubble rained down on top of him, burying his corpse. "But I don't need some human telling me what to do, and I don't care what your life story is!" it chuckled, throwing its head back. "Still, thanks for the tip. I'll wear your face with pride after this one."

Still chuckling to itself, the Krimival made for the stairs, already setting its plan into motion. It let its body change, engulfing itself in black smoke and becoming the last person it had killed in the process. If that man had been stupid enough to come in after it, maybe it could use that to its advantage. Surely those people in that shelter wouldn't be so heartless to leave a scared man outside while a Krimival was on the loose.

When the smoke cleared, however, and it saw its new body, the Krimival stopped dead in its tracks. Looking down, it saw it wasn't the man from before, but a fifty-year old balding man in a gray suit. It brought its wrinkled hands to its face and looked at them in confusion. "I killed this old man outside! How come I'm stuck in this grandpa's body? I should be that guy! There's no way he could have survived that." A thought wormed its way into its head and its eyes widened. "He couldn't have survived, unless-"

"So, the stupid goat finally gets it!"

The Krimival spun around, already transforming, as the blonde-haired man stepped in front of him, dusting debris off of what remained of his shirt. "Really, you're pathetic to think that would kill me. Like a lower creature like you could kill something as great as me!" The Krimival let out a roar and charged the young man, intent on killing him, but its target simply reached for the half-circles near his waist. "I am the Great Jin Shimaki!" he declared, snapping the circles off of the chain. He brought them together in front of himself, inches from letting them touch. "Be thankful that you're my opponent!" Jin smiled as he pressed the two halves together, forming what was actually a crown.

"_**ARE YOU VAIN!?"**_ a loud male voice yelled from the crown.

As the Krimival bore down on him, Jin swung his left fist over his heart and his right in the opposite direction. "Henshin!" he cried, throwing the crown into the air as he did so.

"_**SIN OF PRIDE!"**_

Jin held his arms out as the crown began to spin in the air, laughing as a black-and-gold liquid began to spray out and onto his body. The Ram Krimival charged directly into the rain of liquid and screamed when it touched its skin. It backed off, patches of its fur burnt away by the acidic substance, and it let out an annoyed snort as Jin's transformation continued.

The black liquid created a black bodysuit in seconds, covering him from head to toe. The gold liquid began to spread across his body, forming armor over it. His hands became covered by gold gauntlets, his legs in gold greaves, and shining pauldrons formed over his shoulders. A mesh made of the golden liquid covered whatever the armor did not, forming a sort of chain mail. With the armor finished, the liquid created a black and gold helmet over his head. Finally, the crown stopped spinning and slid down to his head, resting on top and creating a golden visor over his black compound eyes. The visor flashed brightly, signaling the transformation's completion.

Immediately the armor began to radiate an intense light, both blinding and burning. The Ram Krimival screamed in pain as its eyes were burned by the light, blinding it. "Didn't you know that it's unsafe for you to bask in my glory for too long?" Jin asked. "The light of a higher being such as myself can be fatal to lesser creatures, like yourself," he taunted, pointing a finger at the blind monster.

"I'll kill you!" the blinded Ram Krimival screamed, swinging its club-like arms at the general direction of the man and missing wildly. "I'll kill you, and I'll bring down this entire building if I have to do it! I'll destroy it all!" it bellowed, swinging and missing again.

Jin simply chuckled as he walked around the monster's attacks. "Go ahead. Try and hit me while my radiance blinds you!" He ducked under another wild swing and got behind the monster. He delivered a side kick to its back, sending it to the ground. "I am the Deviant Rider Satan. And you shall help me reclaim my glory!" He got into a fighting stance as the Krimival staggered to its feet.

"Now, let's put on a show!" he declared before rushing the monster.

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON KAMEN RIDER SIN!**

**"We made an agreement, Naoki!"**

**"Mr. Tanaka wants to have a talk..."**

**"This is a warning. Stay away from Naoki Akuzaki..."**


	4. Episode 3: The Sin of Arguing

From the couch she rested on, Karin could only watch in horror as the parking garage, inside of it being both the Krimival and the blonde man from before, started to crumble. Whatever damage the monster had done to its lower levels was finally taking its toll. Over half of the structure collapsed, throwing up a massive cloud of dust and debris that covered most of the intersection and completely blocked the view of the helicopter's camera.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, the Krimival has done it – it has destroyed the parking garage!" _the reporter yelled, a hint of despair in their voice. _"I repeat, the Krimival has managed to destroy the parking garage, and it is likely that it will move on to – wait, what's that light? Is there something else in there!?" _The camera began to zoom in on one spot of the dust cloud, where a surprisingly intense light was piercing the veil of debris. _"Something is shining inside of the cloud, but what could it be?"_

The light suddenly seemed to flare up, glowing brighter and giving it a more human-shape, and suddenly something flew out of the cloud, through the air and across the street until it struck a billboard on a building. The camera zoomed in on it just as it began to fall back down to the street, and Karin's breath hitched as she saw that it was the Krimival, the same ram-like monster. The camera continued to follow it until it crashed into the street below, its impact leaving a small crater in the concrete. It stayed still for few seconds before jumping back to its feet and unleashing a horrifying roar, dispelling the dust cloud and even causing the helicopter to begin moving erratically.

"_I-I don't believe it! Is someone – Someone is actually fighting the Krimival!" _the reporter announced excitedly. _"Could this be the hero that we have been hearing about day and night? Is Sin here?"_ The camera shifted back to the destroyed parking garage, and Karin's eyes widened in shock. _"Huh? W-Wait a second, that isn't Sin. T-that is not Deviant Rider Sin! Who is this mysterious figure!?"_

"He's got to be one of the others," Karin muttered as she watched the new Deviant Rider slowly walk from the rubble. Unlike Naoki's armor, his was much flashier looking, made of entirely of what looked like gold. As she watched, however, she realized that even though she was just looking at him through a TV screen, the light that his armor gave off was enough to make her eyes hurt. Still, the opportunity to watch someone else like Naoki fight off a Krimival was too great, and despite her aching eyes, she found herself practically glued to her seat and she continued to watch the live broadcast.

* * *

Jin simply sidestepped as the Ram Krimival charged towards him, shaking his head in disappointment. "Please tell me this isn't all you can do," Jin yawned, actually bringing an armored hand to where his mouth would be. "I know you can hardly see me after my glory blinded you, but could you at least do more than swing your arms like a fool, screaming about how you'll destroy me?"

"Shut the hell up!" the Ram Krimival roared. It let out an earth-shaking roar before charging towards the source of Jin's voice. Letting out a disappointed sigh, the golden Deviant Rider stepped out of the way once again and allowed the charging beast to run headlong into the ruins of the parking garage, slamming into a wall and causing an avalanche of concrete to fall onto its head. He laughed at the beast as it pulled itself from the rubble, a face-splitting grin on his face beneath the helmet. "Coward!" the Ram Krimival roared, charging towards the laughter and swinging its massive hooves. Every strike went wide, however, and only hit the air around its opponent. "Why don't you fight me fairly!?"

"Fairly?" Jin scoffed. "Why should I? I'm a much greater being than you could ever hope to be," he answered, casually dodging another blind attack before countering with a swift kick to its ribs. As the monster stumbled back, he shook his head. "Why should I lessen my brilliance just so I can fight you equally? You're acting really ungrateful, honestly, because you're the first step on the road to me achieving my full glory. Consider it an honor that you'll be mentioned in my legend!" Jin snickered as he jumped backwards, avoiding the Krimival's hooves as they smashed into the ground where he'd been only moments ago.

Realizing that, once again, its tormenter had avoided its powerful swings, the monster let out a bellow of anger. "I'll make you shut the hell up, you pest! No more holding back – I'll go all-out on you!" it roared, the volume and power behind it strong enough to shatter the glass of nearby buildings and cars.

Jin tilted his head, intrigued as black mist began to seep out of the Krimival's fur. The mist began to spread out, away from the body of the beast, and began to change into a thin, blackish fog that rapidly enveloped the entire block. Jin clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw how much his light had dimmed. The Krimival, however, laughed as black mist covered its eyeballs, revealing them to be restored when the mist vanished only seconds later.

"Fog? Is that really the best you can do? Just how is that supposed to stop me?" He began to laugh, though the Krimival simply stayed in place and stared at him, fury building up inside of it. "Such a useless power for a Krimival! You're an embarrassment to all of them! Why, I might as well just kill you now to put you out of your misery!"

He began to walk towards the monster, only for the road to suddenly give out underneath his feet. He cried out in surprise as he fell forwards, and when he looked back he saw his foot had been trapped in a hole. "That wasn't there before!" Growling in annoyance, he tugged on his trapped appendage when a low chuckle made him stop.

"You should really watch where you're going when it's foggy outside." The golden Deviant Rider had just enough time to look up at the sight of the Ram Krimival's hoof falling towards him. The club-like hoof slammed into his body with enough force to crack the concrete below him. "Especially when it's _my_ fog!" It struck him again, grinning savagely when he let out a cry of pain. "Everything my fog touches starts to weaken. Buildings, roads, bridges – it softens all of it up! Makes it easier for me to destroy! But if I really focus, I can make something crumble without even having to touch it!" it explained as it struck the Deviant Rider with both hooves.

* * *

Karin winced as she saw the golden Deviant Rider get struck again and again by the Ram Krimival. He'd surprised her by how easily he had been able to simply avoid the attacks of the monster, only attacking it once or twice. It seemed as though he'd been trying to show off, but she couldn't quite understand why. Maybe it was to show to all Krimivals that they weren't as strong as they believed they were? Maybe he was just overly confident?

Whatever the case, it was clear that he was now paying the price, as he was struck down again and again. The only sound that could be heard came from the blades of the helicopters, with a cry of pain from the Rider occasionally being picked up by the camera crew. The reporter had long since fell silent, likely out of disbelief. It wasn't hard to understand why; just yesterday a Deviant Rider had been able to defeat a Krimival with ease, but now, here was a Krimival literally beating a Deviant Rider into the ground.

"Naoki," she whispered, silently praying that, somehow, someway, he'd arrive to stop this. It was almost too hard to watch.

* * *

Jin was actually surprised by just how much each of the Ram Krimival's strikes actually hurt. Somehow – maybe due to its fog – his armor wasn't absorbing as much of the damage as it should. The defensive powers of his Satan Suit should have kept the damage inflicted on him to a minimum, but now its defenses were being bypassed and every strike felt like it was hitting his own body instead of his armor, and even though his body had been strengthened to withstand Krimival attacks, there was only so much punishment that it could take.

It took all of his willpower not to start laughing then and there.

How much more perfect could the situation be? There he was, the new Rider, coming fresh off the heels of Sin's debut in order to stop the threat of a rampaging Krimival, only to be savagely beaten by the monster he'd tried to stop! He hadn't counted on the Krimival's power to be what it had been, but that only added to appearances. All he needed to do now was to wait for the proper moment to turn the tables and destroy the monster. Then, he'd be the hero who had struggled, body and soul, to defeat the monster that terrorized Shibuya, adored by the masses for his selfless sacrifice. His victory speech was already prepared in his head, made specifically to lessen what Naoki had done by making his win over the Ram Krimival all the more impressive. The people would look away from Sin, and see him as the hero.

Beneath the helmet, Jin Shimaki smiled at the thought of having his spotlight back.

"Hey, get off of him!"

Jin's smile dropped as the sound of a familiar voice rang out, somehow audible over the noise of a motorcycle.

"What the hell?" The Ram Krimival stopped its assault just in time to see a motorcycle wheel fly straight into its face. The monster fell back as the motorcycle itself kept going, driving straight over its body, leaving a solid black line from the tires. "What just hit me?" it groaned, more confused than injured from the shock of having been run over by a motorcycle.

Naoki, clad fully in his emerald Sin Suit, began to spin his motorcycle around in a circle, the powerful exhaust pipes somehow managing to blow away the black fog the Krimival had created. When he had finished, he hopped off of his motorcycle and walked towards the Ram Krimival, throwing a few jabs its way. The monster itself was still getting to its feet, still surprised that a bike had managed to knock it over.

"Deviant Rider Sin has arrived in Shibuya!" he announced while pointing his fist to the sky. As the Ram Krimival finally made it back to its feet, he punched towards it. "Now, start begging for mercy, Krimival!"

* * *

"_I don't believe it! It's Sin! Deviant Rider Sin has arrived in Shibuya, just in time to save his comrade! Once again, he has saved the day!"_ the reporter shouted, sounding completely unprofessional with their level of enthusiasm, but Karin doubted anyone cared at this point. She was on the verge of screaming for joy herself. _"Together, the two Deviant Riders should be more than enough to stop the Krimival!"_

"Thank God… he made it," Karin said, breathing a sigh of relief. Then it occurred to her that she'd just seen Naoki arrive in Shibuya on a motorcycle that she'd never seen in her life. She knew that he'd left on a pathetic little bicycle, but now he was riding on the most impressive motorcycle that she had ever seen. Unless he stole that motorcycle – which, when she considered Naoki's personality, didn't seem likely – he had somehow managed to leave on a bicycle and arrive in Shibuya riding a motorcycle, but then… How was that possible?

Feeling a dizzy spell coming on, Karin placed a head to her forehead. "I think my fever's worse than I thought…"

* * *

The Ram Krimival backed away nervously, looking between the fallen Deviant Rider and the new arrival. It recognized Sin from the news reports, remembered how he had so easily beaten a fellow Krimival, like he hadn't even been trying, and it honestly felt nervous about standing in front of _two_ people who could potentially destroy it. Looking back at the golden Deviant Rider made it feel at least a little bit calmer, seeing as he was still lying on the ground.

Turning to face Naoki, it grinned. "It's about time. I've been waiting to meet you, Deviant Rider Sin," it chuckled as it took a step towards Naoki. "You know, I saw what you did to the Vine Krimival. I saw it quite a few times – stupid news stations won't stop playing the footage over and over again. Do you have any idea how it feels to see another Krimival get taken down by a lowly human?"

"I'm guessing not very good," Naoki replied with a shrug, "seeing as how you're making such a big mess just to get me to show up. Really, you're acting like a child; throwing a tantrum all because his team's losing. Don't get mad just because someone better came along and beat you."

The Ram Krimival let out a low growl and stamped one of its feet at Naoki's insult. "Listen here, Sin. You fought a new-born yesterday," it informed Naoki. "It had barely been alive for a few days when you fought it and that Krimival couldn't use all of its powers yet. Don't get confident just because you managed to beat up a child!" It bared its teeth in what some people might consider a smirk. "If I had been your opponent yesterday, then the results would have been very different."

"I doubt that," Naoki replied. "I still would have beaten you into the ground."

The Ram Krimival growled deeply, baring all of its fangs as it stared the Rider down. "You little idiot! Don't you understand how strong a full-grown Krimival is!?" it bellowed. "The strongest of steels crumble before us! The strongest weapons you humans have feel like pinpricks against our skin! You all die in droves while nothing can stop us! We're superior to humans in every single way! Krimivals are the top of the food chain, and it's going to stay that way!"

Naoki lightly tapped his fists together a few times as he looked at the ground. "Top of the food chain, huh? So, does that mean we're just supposed to let you do what you want?"

"Yes! Krimivals are greater than humans have ever been!" the Krimival repeated, a hint of annoyance in its tone. "All humans are supposed to let us do what we want."

Naoki's fists began to clench tighter and he could feel himself beginning to shake. "Does that mean that you can all kill without consequences?" he gritted out, his voice barely hiding how angered he was.

"Do you blink twice when you step on an insect?" the Ram Krimival shot back. "It's the same with us Krimivals: you're like insects to us, so why should we care if we kill somebody? Why should I care if some people die when I destroy something?" It gestured to the destroyed intersection around them. "I should be allowed to destroy as much as I want, no matter how many of you humans die. Why? Because you all need to know your place in this world!"

Naoki nodded slowly, looking around at the rubble at his feet. His eyes landed on a long piece of rebar wedged between blocks of stone, and he knelt down. Grabbing it, he swung it around a few times, getting a feel for the length and weight of the rod of steel. "Well… Guess what?" he asked in a low, dangerous tone. "It won't be like that anymore!" he shouted, swinging the rebar and pointing it at the monster. "From now on, you Krimivals _will_ answer for your crimes!"

The Krimival let out another earth-shaking roar, but Naoki didn't even move an inch. "Try it, human! I'll crush you into the dust just like I did your friend!"

The monster lifted both of its massive arms and black mist started to rise from under its white fur. Naoki placed his hand on the emblem of his SIN Driver, ready to fight. He was just about to press it when…

"DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME!"

An explosion of light erupted from behind the Krimival, the light so intense that the Krimival's back began to smoke as its fur caught fire and its skin began to blister. It screamed and stumbled forwards, giving Naoki a better look at the figure who was producing the blinding light. It was hard to look directly at Jin, even as the light dimmed down slightly, and the sheer heat he was creating was enough to affect Naoki even with his suit's protection.

Jin raised his hand, trembling in anger, and pointed at the Krimival, palm facing outwards. The light his suit generated seemed to flow into the palm of his hand, wrapping around itself until it formed a small sphere of light that resembled a tiny sun in both appearance and heat. The Krimival itself turned around, breathing heavily, and looked towards the golden Rider.

"I should be the one everyone's looking at. I'm the radiant star of this show," he whispered, raising the tiny sun until it was aimed directly at the Krimival's chest. "But no… Somebody's always getting in my way!"

It happened so fast that the Krimival didn't even have time to cry out. The tiny sun shot from Jin's hand, turning into a thin laser that pierced the monster's chest. The beam burst out from the Krimival's back, nearly skewering Naoki had the young man not moved out of the way the moment he realized what Jin was doing. Even so the laser continued onwards, burning through whatever was in its path until it finally fizzled out.

The Ram Krimival simply stood in place, in shock over the fact that something had just pierced through its chest.

The golden Rider lowered his arm and walked past the stunned Krimival, not even giving it a glance, and advanced on Sin. "This Krimival is mine to kill, you peasant," Jin spat, pointing at Naoki. "How dare you even consider fighting it!"

"Hey, I was just trying to help out," Naoki replied, throwing the rebar to the side. "You looked like you needed help, so I-"

"I didn't ask for your help! Everything was going according to plan until you showed up!" Jin's armor began to glow again, as if reacting to his anger. "Now, because of you, everything I had planned is now ruined, you worthless idiot!"

"Well, if you want, I'll say I'm sorry." Naoki looked away from the raging Jin, rubbing the back of his head. His eyes landed on the Krimival, which was starting to move again despite the smoking hole in its chest. "Hey, you'd better hurry up and finish off that Krimival before it starts fighting again."

Jin shook his head. "There's no point," he sighed. "It's already going to die…"

"D-die!?" The Krimival's attention immediately shifted to Jin the moment he'd said it was going to die. "W-what the hell are you talking about!? I'm still breathing, aren't I? So what if I have a little hole in my chest, I can still fight!" it said through clenched teeth, pain lacing its words. "I-I'll crush you and Sin both, and restore the Krimival name…" It took a step towards the two...

There was a loud crack as its foot struck the ground. Looking down, the Krimival's eyes widened as it saw red cracks starting to form on its body. It watched in horror as even more cracks began to appear, slowly spreading across its massive frame. Looking up, the Ram Krimival shook its head in disbelief. "There's no way… You couldn't have…" When the golden Deviant Rider just shrugged and folded his arms, the monster felt pure fear for the first time in a long time.

"Y-you bastard! Y-you cracked… my c-core…"

Naoki looked between the Krimival and Jin in confusion, until the proverbial light bulb went off in his head. "Oh yeah! I forgot about you Krimivals having those cores!" he said, pointing at the shaking Ram Krimival. "Yeah, that's why you can shrug off any damage; as long as that core of yours isn't damaged, pretty much nothing can kill you."

"And now that I cracked it, you're living on borrowed time. Be a good boy and stand still, so we can end this quickly," Jin added in a mocking tone.

Bellowing in rage, the beast charged Jin, but the young man simply jumped out of the way. Unexpectedly, it didn't stop running, and instead continued on in an attempt to escape the two Riders. Naoki and Jin both spared a quick look at the other before giving chase, watching as the monster's massive body disappeared in a burst of black smoke and leaving in it's place a young man wearing a hoodie, the true human appearance of the Ram Krimival.

The young man dashed into a nearby hotel, throwing whatever he could to the ground to keep the two Riders away from him. He broke into the lobby first, vast and empty after the people had evacuated from his attack. Seeing an open elevator, he dashed in and hit the button for the top floor.

Moments later, the two Riders appeared in the same lobby, looking around for him frantically. Naoki saw the young man just as the elevator doors began to close. "There!" he shouted, running towards the elevator. Frightened, the young man pressed his body against the far wall of the elevator, but just before Naoki could reach him, the doors closed.

"Damn it!" Naoki shouted, punching the elevator doors. They caved under the force of his punch, but at the moment he didn't seem to care. "I can't believe it. The Krimival got away…"

"It doesn't matter," Jin told the young man, calmly striding towards him. "Like I said, since my light cracked its core, it won't last long. In fact, I'd say it has only a few minutes to live." He chuckled softly as he looked up, following the path of the elevator. "He might die before he even gets out of there. Wouldn't that be pathetic…"

Naoki sighed, still upset that the Krimival had gotten away, and removed his Envy Driver from his waist. Jin did the same, removing the Pride Driver from his head and separating the pieces of the crown. Their armors both melted back into liquid, mixing together on the floor in a pool of green, gold, and black before disappearing completely. Looking at his comrade, Naoki smiled. "We did good out there, didn't we?" He held his hand out for Jin to shake. "I know you wanted to handle it yourself, but I didn't know you were already here. If I did, I wouldn't have been in such a rush to-"

Jin's fist collided with Naoki's face, interrupting whatever the young man had to say. Naoki fell onto his back, clutching at his bleeding nose. He looked up just in time to see Jin slam his foot down into his side, the blonde man glaring down at him angrily.

"We had an agreement, Naoki!" the young man screamed, continuing to stomp down on Naoki's side. "I was supposed to be the first to defeat a Krimival, not you! We agreed that at the end of the week, I would be the one everyone was talking about! You broke our agreement, Naoki, and now everyone's worshipping you instead of me!"

Naoki rolled out of the way of Jin's next stomp, making the man smash his foot into the floor instead. He jumped back to his feet and backpedaled, putting distance between himself and the angry Jin. The two glared at each other, Jin's fists clenched tightly while Naoki pinched his bloody nose.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Naoki told Jin. "I know we had an agreement, Jin. No one else cared about who went first, so we all decided to let you be the first to fight a Krimival. None of us were going to try and take that from you." Letting go of his nose, Naoki wiped some of the blood from his face with the sleeve of his jacket. "But what was I supposed to do!? Let a Krimival rampage through the streets and kill everyone? You know I can't do that!"

"I don't care! You shouldn't have done anything, peasant!"

Naoki took a step back, shocked by his ally's reply. He looked down at the ground and tightened his grip on his Envy Driver as he spoke. "You really don't care how many people die, so long as you get your attention?"

"Not in the slightest."

Naoki's head shot up, showing Jin his changed expression. He wasn't the happy-go-lucky idiot that the Deviant Riders were used to seeing, not anymore at least. Now, that goofy look on his face had been replaced by a look of pure malice, with eyes that practically burned with hatred. It was something that always shocked Jin, ever since the first time he'd seen this happen. How could some fool who constantly spouted such idiotic ideals such as saving Japan from the Krimivals be able to have this much darkness inside of him? And yet, this Naoki didn't scare Jin in the slightest. It was startling to see the change, but whenever Naoki changed like this, Jin couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement.

This Naoki was much, much more interesting than the normal Naoki.

"Your name is fitting. Satan, a once-beautiful angel cast from Heaven and turned into a hideous creature," Naoki told Jin, his voice not showing any hint of emotion. "His pride was his downfall, and yours will cause you nothing but pain."

Jin sneered at Naoki's words. "You don't think I've heard worse? I'll spell it out for, just so it's clear. I'll let the whole city burn if it'll get me the spotlight!"

Naoki's eyes narrowed as he lowered the Envy Driver to his waist. "There's no point in apologizing," he said as he pressed the belt buckle against his waist, forming the emerald-green belt around him.

"Oh, wanting to fight, are we?" Jin cackled and shook his head. "No matter how much you beg, I won't forgive you for taking my spotlight, Naoki," he said, holding the pieces of the Pride Driver in his hands.

"I meant there's no point in _you_ apologizing..."

Both men activated their SIN Drivers, Naoki by slapping the emblem on his and Jin by slamming the halves of the crown together. They both knew that words weren't going to be enough to stop a fight from breaking out. Both SIN Drivers announced their activations together.

"**ARE YOU JEALOUS!?"**

"**ARE YOU VAIN!?"**

Naoki raised his fist towards the ceiling while Jin swung his hands back, ready to throw the Pride Driver into the air. They stared at each other, waiting for the first move to be made.

"Henshin!" they yelled at the same time, Naoki bringing his hand down while Jin threw his arms upwards.

Before either could activate their transformations, however, a hail of bullets struck at their feet, surprising both of them and throwing off their concentration. Naoki missed the Envy Driver completely while Jin had to keep from dropping the Pride Driver in surprise. Both Riders looked towards the entrance of the hotel, where a young woman stood, one hand on her hip and the other holding a smoking revolver. She wore denim hot-pants that showed off her long legs and a black blouse with the sleeves rolled up that showed a generous amount of cleavage. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but her most striking feature – besides the smoking gun she held – was the large butterfly tattoo on her neck that actually drew more attention than her large chest.

Sora Haraki shook her head and pointed the still-smoking barrel of the revolver, her Sloth Driver, at the two young men.

"All right, you stupid fuckers, tell me which one of you is responsible for making Mr. Tanaka call me," she demanded, her language a sharp contrast to her rather beautiful appearance. Her pretty face twisted into an angry scowl when neither Jin nor Naoki answered her question. "I asked you a question, damn it!" she screamed before pulling the trigger on her gun, sending four bullets towards the two. They danced out of the way as they struck the ground at their feet.

"Is that really necessary?" Jin growled as she took out a speedloader from her pocket and flicked the cylinder of the Sloth Driver open. With a quick and well-practiced motion, she dumped the spent cases and immediately replaced them with eight new rounds. Snapping the cylinder shut, she looked up at the two young men.

"Yes, it was, because you dumbasses won't listen otherwise!" Raising the revolver at the two again, she took in a deep breath. "Now look! Mr. Tanaka wants to have a talk!" she yelled. "I don't know why, or with who, but if I had to guess, it would be your stupid ass, Naoki. That stupid face was all over the news yesterday and today." Naoki held up a finger to correct her, but Sora interrupted him by firing a shot next to his head. He quickly dropped the finger as she approached. "I can tell you were grinning like an idiot under that helmet, weren't you?" she growled, pressing the barrel of the Sloth Driver under his chin. There was a murderous look in her eyes and Naoki was genuinely worried she might carry through. "It's because of you Mr. Tanaka is sending us out early."

Naoki blinked in surprise at the young woman's words. "Wait, what did you say? He's sending us out early?"

Sora sighed and removed the barrel from his chin. "Yeah, all because of you. He's just eating up the good publicity you earned him yesterday," she told the two. "People are showing so much support for the Deviant Rider program, he's saying he's a shoo-in to be the next Prime Minister. I swear, if you two had just…" She let out an angry growl and shot at Naoki's foot again, making him jump back. "I could have kept partying if you two just got along and didn't do stupid shit! I met this handsome guy who paid for all my drinks, and he was rich too! We could've had something between us!" Sora yelled, shifting between pointing at Naoki and Jin's heads. "But no! Mr. Tanaka knew you two were going to start fighting the moment you saw each other! He called me because I was closest to Shibuya! I'm supposed to make you two get along!" She took in a deep breath…

"SO GET ALONG! BECAUSE I HAVE A GUN AND YOU DON'T!"

Each word was punctuated with a bullet shot at their feet, making Naoki and Jin both dance to avoid the results of her anger. When the revolver finally clicked empty, Sora let out a groan of annoyance before looking at them with eyes overflowing with murderous intent. In response, Naoki quickly ran over to Jin and wrapped his arm around the man's neck, earning an equally murderous glare from the young man.

"Hey, no need to worry Sora! The two of us are going to get along like best friends now, so you don't have to worry," he said, laughing nervously. "So, why don't you go back and keep on partying? If you go now, you might still be able to make things work with that handsome guy of yours."

"Tch!" Sora grunted, snapping her head to the side. "It wouldn't work out anyway…"

"Why not?"

"The guy was apparently some kind of gun enthusiast, so when he saw my SIN Driver, he asked me to show it to him," she told them. "The damn idiot got a little bit pissy when it went off and shot him in the foot, and started screaming about how he'd sue me and crap. I got sick of it and shot him in the other foot, but then the bouncer made me mad and I shot him in the foot…" She sighed and shook her head. "Long story short, I'm banned from that club. Which sucks, because it was a pretty cool place."

Naoki remained silent, instantly regretting his question. He really should have known something like that had happened considering Sora's track record. If he kept his mouth shut, maybe she wouldn't shoot at him anymore.

Jin, however didn't seem to care. "Crazy bitch," he spat, throwing Naoki off of his shoulders.

"What the hell did you call me!?"

As Sora began to reload her revolver while Jin kept taunting her, ignoring the stream of threats and expletives coming from her mouth, Naoki sighed and tried to stop Sora from murdering one of their comrades.

It was going to be a while before he got to go home.

* * *

The young man burst through the roof access door, running across the roof until his body gave out and he tripped over nothing. He landed on his face, but he didn't even notice the pain. He was more concerned with the numerous red cracks that were covering his body. Raising his head, half of his face disappeared in mist to be replaced by the Ram Krimival's face. It too had the same glowing red cracks covering its face.

"What do I do!? What do I do!?" the young man screamed, panicking as the cracks spread even further. He raised his hands to his face and choked back a sob. "You lied to me!" he screamed, pointing a cracked finger at the mist-covered half of his face. "You said I could destroy as much as I want without worrying about anyone! But look at me, just look at me! I'm going to die because of you!"

_**"Shut the hell up,"**_ the Ram Krimival muttered weakly. _**"I'm in the same boat as you, idiot. If you're going down, so am I."**_

"But I don't want to die!" The young man let out a terrified scream, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. An idea came to mind, a last ditch effort that he thought might save his life. He hurried to tear off the hoodie and shirt he wore, revealing the cracked skin underneath. He began to dig his fingernails into the left side of his chest, screaming in frustration and ignoring the pain as he tore his fingernails off as he tried to dig into his strengthened skin. "Get out of me! I'm dying because of your core! If I can just remove it-"

"Won't work, kid," a voice familiar to the young man spoke up.

The young man and the Ram Krimival both looked up at the source of the voice, a look of relief coming over the young man's half of their shared face. Standing in front of them was a tall man, a few years older than him, wearing a crisp black suit. He took a pack of cigarettes from one of his pockets and a lighter from the other. He simply looked at the young man as he lit the cigarette, the smoke rising into the air and disappearing after it passed his slick, waist-long black hair.

"Aniki! Please, help me!" the young man cried, grabbing onto the man's pant leg. "You're way stronger than me! I know you can help! My Krimival Core's been damaged, but you can remove it, can't you, Aniki?"

_**"So pathetic…"** _the Ram Krimival sighed. _**"Just die with some dignity."**_

The man the young man had called Aniki sniffed and kicked the dying young man away, his expression calm as he watched more cracks appear on the surface of the young man's face. "You can't call me Aniki anymore," he told the young man, the cigarette in his mouth moving as he spoke. "You broke our family's rules, meaning you lose our protection. Only newborn Krimivals are allowed to rampage, and even then it's only until one of us calms them down."

"But I had to! Sin was making fun of the Krimivals!" the young man cried, trying to reason with him. "I couldn't think of any way to get his attention but by rampaging! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Sin was not your responsibility," the man told him. "He would have been dealt with in time. You had no reason to try and take matters into your own hands." Half of the man's face disappeared into a dark mist. Inside, the young man saw a plate of gleaming steel that had both a wide grin and a circle for an eye crudely drawn on it.

_**"And now you're going to die!"**_ the Steel Krimival cackled. _**"But you know, I think we should just put them out of their misery, Shou. I know they broke the rules, but it's just so sad to see a fellow Krimival end up like this pathetic mess. Almost makes me want to cry!"**_

"No point," Shou told the Steel Krimival. "His core is damaged. He'll be dead in a few moments."

"Not if you remove it!" the young man cried. At his words the Steel Krimival burst out in laughter, making him shift his eyes between the monster and the man.

**_"Oh, this is rich!"_** it cried. _**"You actually think you can be saved! Don't you get it by now? Didn't anyone ever tell you?"**_

The young man's mouth suddenly felt very dry. "T-tell me w-what?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The Ram Krimival sighed. "**_Once you become a Krimival, our core replaces your heart,"_** it told him, its voice weakening and growing fainter every second. "_**And with time, it grows to replace all of your internal organs. It's the only thing that keeps you alive after it's been implanted, and when it's damaged like this…"** _The Ram Krimival's eye suddenly widened, then it disappeared from the mist entirely. The mist itself fell off of the man's face, and he just stared at where it had been.

Despair and fear washed over him in waves as he watched the last few pieces of skin on his body become covered in red cracks. The light that poured out of them began to glow in intensity, though Shou didn't take his eyes off of the young man, his expression unchanging, while the young man grabbed his head and screamed at the sky. Fire blasted out of his eyes, mouth, and nose as the red light became blindingly bright.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

His last screams were cut off as he exploded into fire and ash. Shou simply removed the cigarette from his mouth as the fireball washed over him. A second later, however, the fire and ash all began to form a small cyclone, funneling into the man's open mouth. The man held the mixture in his mouth for a few moments before opening his mouth just a crack, letting out a small flame.

"Maybe we should be taking the Deviant Riders more seriously," he whispered. "The Ram Krimival was fully-grown, with the power to weaken any structure so long as it wasn't organic. He could easily level an entire city with that power, but for him to be beaten so easily…"

_**"Who the hell cares?"**_ the Steel Krimival scoffed. _**"Sure, his power sounds impressive on paper, but all he could really use it for is making things easier to destroy. Sounds more like he just didn't want to do the hard work and used his power to soften everything up,"**_ the monster cackled. "_**If anything, this is a good thing! Sin and those Deviant Riders might get cocky now, meaning someone who knows what they're doing can pick them off easily!"**_

"Perhaps," Shou admitted while taking out another cigarette. "But from what I saw in his fight with the Vine Krimival, Sin is close to our own level of power. That other Deviant Rider also seems like he could be troublesome." Sighing, Shou opened his mouth and dumped the lit cigarette inside. He chomped down on it and began chewing, letting the taste of the burning ash and smoke roll over his tongue as he stared off into the distance, thinking of his next move. The Steel Krimival vanished, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

"Perhaps I should ask the boss to let me nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand…"

* * *

"I'm sure he won't mind if I use a few of his things," Karin muttered to herself as she poured laundry detergent into the washer along with her clothes.

Once the news broadcast had ended with a shot of Naoki and that other Deviant Rider chasing after the fleeing Ram Krimival, Karin had decided to take a look around Naoki's apartment when she had smelt herself. Apparently, she had been sweating more than she thought, and her clothes showed that. Luckily, she found that Naoki had a washer and a dryer, located right next to his bathroom. Finding a clean towel, she had stripped down and wrapped it around her before throwing her clothes into the washer and letting it do its job. Now, she planned to get a quick shower in his bathroom.

Then she walked in, and nearly broke down in tears.

He had a western-style bathroom, with an actual bathtub being what stole her breath away from her. It was the kind of bathtub that she wished she could fit into her tiny bathroom, but it couldn't even fit a shower, forcing her to use a bathhouse down the road from her apartment to get clean. This, however, was made for someone's comfort, with jets that would wash away a day's worth of stress. She could barely contain her excitement as she filled up the tub, and she nearly cried when she got in. The warm water did agitate her injuries a bit, but she didn't care! This was heavenly to her, and right at that moment, she knew what she would be doing.

She was going to lay in that tub the whole day.

A phone call, however, pulled her away from her dreams of relaxation. It might be important, and considering Naoki was letting her stay at his place while she recovered, she could at least take a message for him. She got out of the tub and quickly wrapped a towel around her before hurrying out, leaving a trail of water behind her as she ran out of the bathroom and over to the kitchen counter where the phone lay. Picking it up, she held it to her ear.

"I'm sorry, but the owner is currently out," Karin told the person on the other end. "I can take a message for him, if you'd like."

_"This is a message for you,"_ a garbled voice from the other end said, making Karin jump in surprise. _"Stay away from Naoki Akuzaki…"_

Before she could ask any questions, the caller hung up. Karin simply stared at the phone, wondering who had called her and what they'd meant.

"Stay away from Naoki?" she whispered, still staring at the phone.

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON KAMEN RIDER SIN!**

**"Isamu? What are you doing here?"**

**"They hear a woman singing and can't help but walk towards it..."**

**"ARE YOU PERVERTED!?"**


End file.
